Human Trafficking Survivor Advocate: Observational Evaluation of a Community-Based Pilot Program to Support...

Trafficked persons commonly experience adverse health consequences. Despite presenting to hospitals, they often are not appropriately assisted. A health care system and community-based organization partnered to employ a survivor to support patients identified as victims, offering education and community resources.

The "Survivor Advocate" was available to respond to referral requests from health care professionals, engaging in supportive bedside education with interested patients. For patients confirmed as trafficked persons, the Survivor Advocate offered assistance in accessing specialized community resources. To evaluate the program's impact, descriptive data were collected and analyzed on patients served, including sociodemographic characteristics, presenting complaints, perceived indicators of trafficking, and discharge outcomes. Semistructured interviews were also conducted with stakeholders to explore program operations, successes, and limitations, analyzing text with reflexive thematic analysis.

The advocate served 146 unduplicated patients at 20 hospitals. Nearly half came from 1 hospital at which the advocate was primarily based. Of patients served, 48 (32.9%) were confirmed as trafficked, and 98 (66.1%) were not. Among those confirmed, 42 (87.5%) experienced sex trafficking, 2 (4.2%) experienced labor trafficking, and 4 (8.3%) experienced both. In 17 stakeholder interviews, participants described various ways in which the program was beneficial.

The Survivor Advocate program benefited patients, emergency nurses, and other health care professionals. Although most patients served were not confirmed as trafficked, engaging the advocate improved nurses' and social workers' ability to address indicators of violence and trauma and engage compassionately with patients, resulting in referrals to vital resources for numerous individuals.