Family violence: a letter to my doctor

The epidemic of family violence in America is widespread, deadly and complex. Even the very young, the very old and pregnant women may be safer on the streets than in there own homes, according to a recent article in the AM News. The cost to our society is staggering. And you, as physicians, are on the front lines, daily confronting the effects of this national crisis. Approximately every third patient you see is a victim of family violence. Your patients' bruises, fractures and other injuries are often symptoms of a far more sinister disease. The patient needs your help. As doctors, you are being asked to treat not just the symptoms but also the underlying cause--to look below the surface to the illness beneath. As healthcare professionals you are being asked to take the lead in helping society eradicate this devastating epidemic and restore the health of our families through these individual lives. In a letter to you, her trusted doctor, the following profiles a victim of abuse.