Human trafficking, whether for forced labor or sexual exploitation, is a human rights abuse and a crime. You might think it can’t happen here, in my community, but you would be wrong. Multiple studies have shown that 88% of victims had come into contact with the healthcare system while being trafficked. Healthcare workers have the opportunity to interact with victims and disrupt the cycle of abuse, but victims’ situations and their trauma frequently go unrecognized in our emergency departments, practices and clinics.  

In this webinar hosted by Schwartz Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Beth Lown, Tejal Patel, Esq., CPHRM, associate risk management counsel at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, will moderate a discussion with members of their Human Trafficking Response Teams (a Schwartz Center 2022 Corman IMPACT Honors recipient): Karen Silva, PhD, MSFN, MSN, PMHRN-BC, behavioral health nurse, Amy Huynh, LCSW, ACM, a social worker in the cardiac surgery ICU, and Tameia Marshall, MBA, a patient access manager. We’ll learn about their work to educate and support healthcare workers so they in turn can recognize and offer trauma-informed care to victims of human trafficking. 

To schedule HT training from Cedars-Sinai’s HT Response Taskforce, please contact TJ directly at Tejal.Patel@cshs.org