Real impact

Measurable Impacts that Matter:

Women thrive.

Health care is enhanced.

Community capacity is strengthened.

- Women thrive -

iHEAL creates lasting improvements in Women’s Health, Well-Being and Safety

One of the few programs globally shown to improve BOTH women’s mental health and safety

One year after the iHEAL program:

I feel like [iHEAL] sped up my recovery... Before the program, I was depressed, anxious... That’s how I was going to feel for the rest of my life…the program sped that up and I feel now like I’m a functioning member of society and I have potential and opportunity.

Everything has pretty much changed...for the better. I have a family doctor now, I'm getting counseling now. I'm getting all this the stuff that I couldn't get help before with. And… my oldest children are both wanting to be in my life now… if I didn't get the help from iHEAL, then I probably would still be like not okay.

Women's lives improved in many other ways. For example, many gain confidence and skills to help manage the challenges of life and create a better future; others return to work or school, or use new energy to focus on caring for children and themselves.

- Health care is enhanced -

Many survivors disclose [IPV] during a mental health or crisis response...rather than directly seeking an IPV service. So, having a program like iHEAL available to provide trauma-informed pathways after a crisis...helps ensure support continues once the crisis pass...iHEAL complements the work of a crisis team rather than duplicating it.

Community Partner

One of the unique pieces of [iHEAL] is being a nurse in the role, right? Not only can they assist with the emotional side of what the woman has been experiencing, but any physical concerns….they have much more knowledge in that area and are perhaps able to [address] other [health] medical needs than we would be able to.

iHEAL can improve health care quality and effectiveness in multiple ways:

Improves access to appropriate services for women experiencing violence
Reduces the gap between crisis-oriented care and long-term recovery
Supports organizational and system commitments to access, equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization
Improved mental health reduces demand on over-burdened services while reducing costs
Registered Nurses work to the full scope of their expertise, improving their work satisfaction and retention
Draws organizations' attention to the well-being of all staff
A practical solution given that RNs are the largest group of health care providers globally

- Community capacity is strengthened -

iHEAL works in partnership with other services in ways that extend, rather than duplicate their work

Improves communication and coordination across health and community services

Referral pathway for women accessing violence or other services who would benefit from more intensive, health-focused support

Makes better use of existing services: the right services, in the right place at the right time

Expands community responses to IPV in a productive way

“[iHEAL] works really well alongside shelters, counseling, victim services, primary care…,legal support, and police I would say. I feel like it creates more of a coordinated response for survivors of intimate partner violence”

“Without iHEAL, there would be a huge gap in women accessing the supports that they really need…... when you only have one option in town, and for whatever reason things have not worked out there, people give up. iHEAL is different enough that I find women are more open to trying it… Without it, I think you would just see more people fall through the cracks.” (Community Partner)