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Bristol Hospital highlights efforts to reduce domestic violence on National Have Hope Friday
BRISTOL, Conn. (WTNH) — May 6 is National Have Hope Friday. It's a day when hospitals highlight efforts to reduce violence in their workplaces and their communities. Bristol Hospital highlighted efforts to reduce domestic violence.
Speaking at the press conference Friday was Naseem Walker-Jenkins. He and his brothers lost their mother Shenia Walker 12 years ago. Her boyfriend stabbed her to death in her Bristol apartment.
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'A day that forever changed our lives,' Walker-Jenkins said. 'There's an emptiness in our hearts that nothing can ever fill. We still find ourselves asking why? Why did it have to be you?'
This was the first time Walker-Jenkins spoke publicly about his mother. He did so as part of Bristol Hospital announcing a partnership with the Prudence Crandall Center, which offers lots of help.
'Emergency shelter for those fleeing danger, transitional and long-term housing, counseling, court advocacy and more,' Barbara Damon, the Prudence Crandall Center President & CEO, listed.
Part of the partnership is that the Prudence Crandall Center will hold training sessions for the hospital personnel most likely to encounter victims of domestic violence. That includes training in how to spot domestic violence, what to ask suspected victims, and what to do if you identify a victim.
'All staff members who have been trained will be provided with a purple ribbon to place on their badges, and I have one of those on me today,' Christine Laprise, the vice president of operations for Bristol Health, said.
The goal is not just to help domestic violence victims, but to stop the violence itself.
'We must prevent it before it begins, and that means raising awareness, building resilience, and working hand in hand with out community,' Damon said.
Which is the only way to save children from going through what Walker-Jenkins and his brothers did.
'We just wish we had one more moment with you, one more chance to say how much we love you, one more hug and one more I love you,' Walker-Jenkins said.
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