How Hospitals and Health Care Systems Can Address Human Trafficking

As part of the American Hospital Association’s Hospital Against Violence initiative, this webinar addresses how hospitals and health systems can prevent human trafficking. Among many forms of violence, human trafficking, a modern form of slavery, is a global problem and is increasingly being recognized as a public health concern in the United States. Health care organizations and health care professionals can help identify and support victims of human trafficking by being alert to the problem and realizing patients they are treating may be victims. By collaborating with public agencies and community-based organizations, health care organizations can raise awareness in their own communities and advocate for public policies that address human trafficking. As anchor institutions, hospitals can leverage their influence by being aware of the “supply side” of human trafficking globally.

This webinar explored the problem of human trafficking, identified approaches health care organizations can adopt to address human trafficking and provided case examples of hospitals leading the field in human trafficking prevention.

Presenters:

• Roy Ahn, Associate Director, Public Health, NORC at the University of Chicago
• Laura Krausa, System Director, Advocacy, Catholic Health Initiatives
• Wendy Macias-Konstantopoulos, MD, Director, Human Trafficking Initiative, Department of Emergency Medicine’s Division of Global Health and Human Rights, Massachusetts General Hospital