Tongass Family Edwards: Choose Respect

Today marked Alaska’s second annual statewide “Choose Respect” march. Our governor (yes, a Republican!) has made it a personal project of his to highlight the issue of domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska. The statewide “Choose Respect” campaign kicks of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault awareness month. I was lucky enough to have the day off of work- so I organized some colleagues to march with me in the walk. Brent, Phin, and the dogs joined in as well. I have to say- our signs and doggie sandwich boards were a big hit.

Since moving to Sitka, I’ve learned so much about domestic violence and its impact on health outcomes. Through projects through our hospital’s DV task force, I’ve learned just how rampant these social illnesses are in our population. Alaska’s stats are particularly alarming. This data is from 2010 : 47.6% of Alaskan women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. 37.1% of adult women in Alaska have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.11.8% of Alaskan women have experienced either domestic violence or sexual violence in the past year. These numbers probably underestimate the true prevalence of this plague. To compound things, there is plenty of good data out there showing that children who are exposed to violence in the home have an increased risk of developing chronic health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer as adults. I’ve started asking my patients about their exposure to violence in the home, and unfortunately- the responses tend to trend with the above statistics.

Phin's stroller decked out for the walk.

It’s hard to know what to do with such depressing information. I’m happy to see that a group of about 50 people came out in the pouring rain on a Thursday afternoon to walk together in solidarity on this issue. Sitka is working on a “Choose Respect” mural to be completed within the next year. There is a “Girls on the Run” program in the schools to get middle school girls out running with a final event of a 5k. Some coaches in town are participating in the “Boys To Men” program to teach respect towards girls to their male athletes in the schools. And there is a new anti-bullying curriculum in place in the schools. Hopefully these programs will impact the young people of this community to understand respect for themselves and for each other, and to break the cycle of violence. In the mean time, we’ll paint posters and walk together in the rain. If you'd like to learn more, a great resource is the family violence prevention fund: www.endabuse.org

Isis wears her heart on her sleeve most days.

On a more cheerful note-

The Edwards Family had a fantastic spring break in Scottsdale earlier this month. All of the Edwards cousins were able to see each other and hang out together. It was wonderful having the family time. We were also lucky that Grandma and Grandpa “P” were in Phoenix for a wedding. So Phineas got to see almost all of his relatives in one trip! What a lucky kid! Highlights of the trip included family time, meals together, daily dips in the pool, a trip to the train park, and a hike up Sqaw peak (way to go Grandpa John!)