About DVP
In 2010, the Indian Health Service (IHS) began the Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative (DVPI) as a pilot demonstration project for 65 awarded IHS, tribal, and Urban Indian Health Programs.
In 2015, the initiative became a grant and federal award program with a five year funding cycle, and is now known as the Domestic Violence Prevention (DVP) program. During this period, IHS awarded 57 grants and federal program awards.
On September 30, 2017, IHS announced 26 new DVP awards totaling $3,579,838 [PDF 40 KB] per year.
DVP now funds 83 projects totaling $11,175,838 [PDF 45 KB] to tribes, tribal organizations, Urban Indian Organizations, and IHS federal facilities to meet the following goals:
- Build tribal, Urban Indian Health Programs and federal capacity to provide coordinated community responses to American Indian and Alaska Native victims of domestic and sexual violence.
- Increase access to domestic and sexual violence prevention, advocacy, crisis intervention, and behavioral health services for American Indian and Alaska Native victims and their families
- Promote trauma-informed services for American Indian and Alaska Native victims of domestic and sexual violence and their families
- Offer health care provider and community education on domestic violence and sexual violence
- Respond to the health care needs of American Indian and Alaska Native victims of domestic and sexual violence, and
- Incorporate culturally appropriate practices and/or faith-based services for American Indian and Alaska Native victims of domestic and sexual violence
The DVP promotes the development and implementation of evidence-based and practice-based models of domestic violence prevention that are also culturally competent. The DVP also expands outreach and increases awareness by funding projects that provide victim advocacy, intervention, case coordination, policy development, community response teams, sexual assault examiner programs, and community and school education programs.
Two purpose areas have been established to help meet these goals:
- Purpose Area 1: Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention, Advocacy, and Coordinated Community Responses
- Purpose Area 2: Provide Forensic Healthcare Services
Accomplishments
From 2010-2015, the DVP resulted in over 78,500 direct service encounters including crisis intervention, victim advocacy, case management, and counseling services. More than 45,000 referrals were made for domestic violence services, culturally-based services, and clinical behavioral health services. In addition, a total of 688 forensic evidence collection kits were submitted to federal, state, and tribal law enforcement.
