Texas Health Resources, the largest healthcare system in North Texas, has been awarded a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to help employers address the problems their employees may face due to family violence.
The $86,550 grant was awarded to the Harris Methodist Health Foundation, a part of the Texas Health Resources system that encourages philanthropic support to improve the health of the community.
Doug Hawthorne, CEO of Texas Health, said the grant would be used for the production and marketing of an online training tool to supplement the toolkit the health system currently offers free to employers interested in implementing a domestic violence awareness and training program.
"Domestic violence is a complex public health issue," said Hawthorne. "The goal of our Family Violence Prevention program is to raise awareness of family violence and provide education and resources to help reduce its impact. We want to foster an environment that allows for the open and candid discussion of the issue."
The toolkit provides educational and collateral resources that educate managers about the problem and teach skills to assist employees who may be victims or perpetrators of family violence. It includes a cost-calculator that enables employers to calculate the potential cost of domestic violence on the business.
"The impact of domestic violence on the workplace is demonstrated both directly and indirectly through medical costs, loss of productivity and factors that may lead to an unhealthy work environment," said Bonnie Bell, executive vice president of People & Culture for Texas Health. "We believe it is in our financial best interest to address this issue because it can have a significant impact on employee productivity. Whatever impacts employees - no matter where or when it occurs - can affect the organization."
Hawthorne said the grant would enable Texas Health to introduce its Family Violence Prevention program to a wider range of organizations. The health system has presented the toolkit to other organizations through conferences and trade shows as well as direct visits to major employers interested in the program.
"This grant recognizes the work that Texas Health has done over several years to develop tools and resources that can help organizations of all types and sizes address the problem of family violence," said Doug White, president of the Harris Methodist Health Foundation.
Texas Health is one of the largest nonprofit healthcare delivery systems in the United States. The system of 13 hospitals includes Harris Methodist Hospitals, Arlington Memorial Hospital and Presbyterian Healthcare System.