NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County in New York City has launched Kings CARES, a program designed to provide coordinated, trauma-informed follow-up care for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.
The program builds on the hospital’s sexual assault response team by centralizing ongoing care under a team trained through its Clinical Forensic Medicine Fellowship, according to a Jan. 28 news release. It offers behavioral health, obstetric, gynecologic and neurologic care, as well as forensic and social services, including injury documentation and connection to housing and financial support.
The hospital collaborates with the city’s five district attorney’s offices and NYC Family Justice Centers to link survivors with legal advocacy. NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County is a designated SAFE Center of Excellence.
The health system also operates two mental health clinics for survivors and has expanded its $5.9 million domestic violence shelter mental health initiative to 41 shelters. The initiative has delivered more than 5,600 behavioral health appointments and served over 700 patients since launching in late 2022, according to the release.
Since 2022, three physicians have completed training through the Clinical Forensic Medicine Fellowship, the only program of its kind in New York state.
