Professor Lopez Leads CISWH Collaboration with Superemos Foundation to Improve Domestic Violence Services in Nicaragua

March 11, 2019 | Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health (CISWH)

The following text is an excerpt. For the full article, click here.

Social workers can be instrumental in helping women and children leave an abusive household, connecting them to the support and safety they need. The Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health (CISWH) at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) is collaborating with the Superemos Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Estelí, Nicaragua, to better integrate social work services into medical care to help identify and assist women who are experiencing domestic violence.

Superemos provides adult literacy and vocational training, youth and arts programming, and health, mental health, and domestic violence services. They also work with an annual medical brigade, led by Dr. Peter Loewinthan of BU School of Medicine (BUSM), in collaboration with Dorchester House (DotHouse Health), BUSM, BU Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and others. The brigade serves Estelí and surrounding rural areas, offering health screenings and medical care, including domestic violence and child abuse assessments. If abuse is observed or reported, the brigade members make referrals to Superemos for follow-up and continuity of care after the brigade leaves the country.

Superemos’ partnership with CISWH, led by Luz Marilis López, clinical professor at BUSSW, also created an opportunity for a valuable student learning experience in the field. In February 2019, BUSSW student Joseli Alonzo visited Estelí, Nicaragua, with López and Rachel Bowers-Sword, program manager at CISWH. During the nine-day trip, the team accompanied Superemos staff on medical brigade stops, home visits, and meetings with government officials.

Read the full article here: https://ciswh.org/faculty-student-and-superemos-improve-domestic-violence-services-in-nicaragua/