Foundation participates in Dallas County domestic violence report

Did you know the presence of a gun during a domestic violence incident increases the risk of homicide by 500 percent? Or that domestic violence is 11 times more likely to occur on days of heavy alcohol or drug use? You can learn these and hundreds of additional facts in the Dallas County Adult Intimate Partner Violence Case Review Report of 2009-2013 released this month.

The report was created by the Dallas County Intimate Partner Violence Fatality Review Team (IPVFRT). Established in 2010, the team operates in accordance with Chapter 672 of the Texas Health and Safety Code to conduct a system-wide review of adult intimate partner violence (IPV) fatalities in Dallas County.

The IPVFRT conducts confidential, system-wide reviews of resolved cases resulting from homicides and murder-suicides of adults over the age of 17, with the purpose of improving prevention and intervention services that will lead to a decrease in the incidence of deaths.

The report details from 2009-2013, 115 people in Dallas County died as a direct result of intimate partner violence, one of the highest numbers of any county in Texas. Of these victims, 82 percent were female.

The DFW Hospital Council (DFWHC) Foundation is a part of the Dallas County team, to include the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Genesis Women’s Shelter, Methodist Health System, Parkland Health & Hospital System and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

The DFWHC Foundation’s extensive data warehouse was also utilized when providing statistics detailed in the study.

“Our goal is to protect public health and safety and to provide services that improve the well-being of Dallas County and its residents,” said Dr. Sushma Sharma, director of public and population health research at the DFWHC Foundation. “We hope to promote communication and coordination among the agencies involved in responding to domestic violence deaths.”

You can read the full report here.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Sharma at ssharma@dfwhcfoundation.org.