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J /' ' 1 '7 Page A10 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ May 24,2006 DRIVEN project speeding ahead durhamregion.com Community leaders and public invited to forum BY JILLIAN FOLLERT Staff Writer DURHAM - It was eight months ago that two Durham police officers put a plan in motion, to make it easier, quicker and safer for victims of domestic violence to get help. This week, Detective Tracey Marshall and Detective Cathy Bawden took a moment to pause and reflect and the consensus is that DRIVEN is in gear and picking up speed. "The momentum is really starting, our numbers are growing growing and people are understanding what we're trying to do," said Det. Bawden, domestic violence co-ordinator for the DRPS. - The idea for DRIVEN, DRIVEN, which stands for Durham Region's Intimate Partner Violence Violence Empowerment Network, was inspired by the San Diego Family Justice Centre, which houses more than 100 domestic domestic violence professionals under one roof. Det. Marshall, who works with the DRPS threat-assessment threat-assessment unit, said they envision a similar model for Durham, where police, medical care, income support, shelter services services and other critical help is available under one roof. That way, a woman who might have only a few hours away from her abuser won't have to trek across the region . to different offices, telling her story again and again. To get the ball rolling, the two women put the word out last fall, calling all professionals and agencies who Work with victims of intimate violence. An average of 40 people 'Our numbers are growing and people are understanding what we're trying to do.' -Det. Cathy Bawden representing 25 local agencies have been meeting monthly since then, with a focus on explaining the sendees they offer. Thé goal is for every participating agency to have detailed knowledge of what the others do. "We're learning too, sometimes sometimes we hear about things we didn't know were available," said Det. Marshall. "It's already increasing the level of service we can provide to victims." DRIVEN also has a mission statement and steering committee committee in place now. The next few months are sure to be busy ones for the team, as they move closer to getting the project off the ground. Catholic Family Services of Durham has applied for a grant totalling $300,000 over three years to help start the pilot project in its Oshawa building. A decision decision is expected next month. While they await funding news, members of the steering committee are travelling across Canada and the U.S. to visit multi-service centres and consider consider models that might work in Durham. A local delegation recently checked out the San Diego Family Justice Centre, which inspired DRIVEN, and is the only initiative of its kind in the U.S. Also coming up on the DRIVEN DRIVEN agenda is a forum slated for June 13. Community leaders and the public are invited to Westminster United Church from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to learn about services available in the community and hear guest speakers like Dave Franklin, who will discuss "relationship terrorism." To register for the upcoming upcoming community forum, e-mail vcars@drps.ca before June 1. For more information call 905-579-1520 ext. 5638. -care Dr. Howard Clasky named critical-leader BY DANIELLE MILLEY Staff Writer _ DURHAM - The pieces of the Central East Local Health Integration Network are starting starting to come together, Dr. Howard Clasky was . f recently named the critical- care leader for the Central East LHIN. "In that role I will be helping helping the regional administration administration with liaisoning, with consulting consulting with corporations in the LHIN relating specifically to intensive care," said Dr. Clasky, who is the director of the intensive care unit at Scarborough Scarborough Hospital. As critical care leader, Dr. • Clasky will work with chief executive officer Marilyn Emery to develop plans on the best Use of critical care resources in the area. He said his first task will be one of fact finding. "To get a feel for what's going on," he added. Once he has the lay of the land for the Central East LHIN, which stretches from Scarborough to Northumberland Northumberland County and north to Hali- burton, he will work with its critical-care providers and the LHIN board to improve critical critical care in the 1 -area. "What we want to do is, within the intensive care family, family, we want to improve the efficiency and we want to help with quality issues, improving improving quality, improving care for patients,"; Dr. Clasky said, adding they want to make sure patients get the right care, at the right place. He is excited to be a part of the LHIhf as it gets going and was honoured to be selected for the position. The critical care LHIN leaders leaders will also work with Dr. Bernard Lawless, who was named the provincial lead for critical care. The Province is working to improve critical care, having launched its $90 million critical-care strategy in January, which includes critical-care response teams, new critical-care beds, training training critical-care doctors and nurses, quality improvement, and addressing ethical issues related to critical care. The Central East LHIN is working with community residents and local healthcare healthcare providers to create an integrated health services plan (IHSP) to guide the delivery of health-care services across the Central East area. The goal is to strengthen the accessibility and sustainability sustainability of the public health care system. av. 'A- ..v-. :■ : ■ J -v j. -. m & on demand news for on the go people DURHAM I). i à ; ill NEWS vvwr l'tliMi V"'*Vv..Vr w* 1 ' . Efte Canabtan Statesman There's lots more news online at durhamreglon.com 905-579-4400