October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month In 1995, President Clinton declared the month of October as the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. President George W. Bush continued this designation throughout his presidency up to, and including 2008. Although domestic violence was initially considered a criminal justice problem, former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop aroused the Nation’s awareness that domestic violence is a public health problem. Consequently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS or Department) joined forces with the Department of Justice to reduce the incidences of domestic violence. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 gave law enforcement officials the tools needed to punish persons who assault women. The VAWA initiative launched the creation of the 24-hour toll-free National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) and the TDD number for the hearing-impaired (1-800-787-3224) available to all suffering from domestic violence. HHS is at the leading edge in providing education and information in an effort to reduce the incidence of domestic violence. Information on available programs and statistics may be found on the Department’s Web site: http://www.dhhs.gov under “Families & Children.” The goal of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) is to prevent domestic violence before it happens, and to provide intervention and rehabilitation as necessary. Although the number of reported incidents among Corps officers is relatively low, when they do occur, they not only affect the health and well being of the officer and his/her family members, but also compromise the mission of the Corps. Active duty, retired officers and/or family members concerned with this issue are encouraged to seek early assistance through the uniformed services’ healthcare system’s Family Advocacy Program, or through the civilian sector if outside the catchment area of a military facility. Officers and their family members may also obtain intervention by calling the Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services’ Medical Affairs Branch at 301-594-6434 or 1-800-368-2777, option 2. Calls will be handled in a medically confidential manner and information will be held in the strictest confidence.

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