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PAGE 10 September/October 2020 PAGE 09 September/October 2020 The purple houses and rose garden have certainly gotten the community's attention. After four separate anonymous attempts to mow over and destroy the memorial garden, 200 rose bushes currently stand surrounding a pond, a treehouse constructed by volunteers, and a stage for community performances. A soft opening of the village was held Aug. 30, featuring a dedication of the garden to 200 victims of DV, a testimony to the work of G.Y.R.L. by Councilman Ellington, a presentation of a Community Leadership and Achievement award to Ms. E from One Love, performances by City in Motion dancers, and various talent showcases and skits by the children in G.Y.R.L.'s Young Kings and Princesses programs. Ms. E hopes that events like this will show the community the village's potential and drive volunteer and financial support to be able to complete renovations on the buildings and expand the classes for children. One of the buildings currently houses the administrative office as well as the Young Kings and Princesses programs where children learn everything from manners and personal hygiene to culinary skills and creative writing. In upcoming weeks, Ms. E will be implementing an entrepreneur program into the curriculum as well as provide an allowance for each child, emphasizing the value of money and teaching the kids how to budget, pursue entrepreneurial careers, and more. The kids will also have opportunities to sell merchandise they make in their creative classes at local vendor fairs. "We're encouraging them to pursue their passions and be entrepreneurs because the job field is changing and we want them to be prepared." As these programs continue to expand, G.Y.R.L.'s next priority is to get the shelters up and running to meet the increased demand for space and safety in the area. To this day all of the group's projects have been funded and completed by Ms. E, G.Y.R.L. board members and volunteers, and financial as well as material donations. "If we don't have the funding, do we still exist? Yes. We still have the same problems," she mentions, while discussing community grievances with other executive board members. While G.Y.R.L. has proven to overcome every obstacle thrown its way, the group hopes it can continue to prove the village's importance to the community, recruit volunteers, and receive funding to speed up the process and get help to those who need it most. The ever-ambitious Ms. E already has her sights set on more mostly vacant neighborhoods in the area that have the potential to become villages such as the one she has created. In a time where community-led alternatives to police are sought more and more, especially for Black and Indigenous people of color, G.Y.R.L. has the potential to expand greatly and save men, women, LGBTQ, and family members of all ages from DV and abusive households. G.Y.R.L. is currently looking for members to join its advisory board to help oversee administrative and social projects. Volunteers are needed for renovation and landscaping work to complete the shelters as well as weekly maintenance of the rose garden and yards. Donations of art supplies, notebooks and writing utensils, sports equipment, food and drinks, and personal hygiene items are always welcome to supplement the Young Kings and Princesses programs. The group is also looking for volunteers interested in teaching any creative or practical skill classes in addition to the courses currently offered. Anyone interested in getting involved with G.Y.R.L. or Young Kings and Princesses can contact infogyrl@gmail.com or call 816.622.2927. A study conducted by Southwest Rural Health Research Center found that intimate partner violence (IPV) disproportionately affects women, especially those in rural communities compared to their male and urban counterparts. As defined in the study, IPV, also referred to as domestic violence, includes physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, psychological aggression, and reproductive control by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend, domestic partner, or spouse. The study explored IPV- related emergency department visits in rural and urban communities and further broke down disparities based on gender as well as income distribution. Between 2009-2014, there were an estimated 156,945 emergency department visits in the U.S. for patients ages 15-64 with a "battering and other maltreatment by spouse or partner", averaging 26,158 visits per year in this 6-year period. Among these visits, women make up a drastically disproportionate percentage compared to men in the same areas. Women accounted for 93% of IPV-related emergency department visits among patients ages 15-64 in urban areas, compared to 95% in rural areas. Men in rural areas made up only 5% of IPV-related emergency department visits compared to 7% in urban areas. Prevalence of IPV-related emergency department visits among those between the ages 15-64 was higher in rural versus non-rural areas in all regions except the Midwest (15.5 versus 11.9 per 100,000 population). This disparity in hospital visits is also rooted in differences in wealth and access to certain health services. Rural men and women admitted to the emergency department with an IPV-related diagnosis were more likely to be in the lower half of the income distribution (87% versus 59%) and to have public health insurance (48% vs. 44%) than their urban counterparts. Research suggests that small, close-knit rural communities may also have a greater problem of underreported victims of IPV, likely in part due to these wealth and accessibility disparities. Financial and physical access to preventive services, regular health care, and routine screening for IPV can be factors surrounding whether intervention for a person experiencing IPV is possible before violence escalates. Higher numbers of IPV-related hospitalizations in rural areas suggests a lack of accessibility to preventive services, resulting in these areas also having higher levels of IPV-related homicide. As concluded in the study, updated nationwide data is needed to understand rural-urban disparities in IPV and inform policy recommendations aimed at preventing IPV and improving health outcomes for persons exposed to IPV. This is especially true due to the large number of IPV cases that go unreported in these areas where preventive services are lacking or inaccessible. Along with finding more data, it is imperative that work is done to ensure rural and urban communities have equal opportunity to intervene in cases of IPV before violence results in death. By Elena Cleaves, Contributing Writer Rural Communities Experience Disproportionate Rates of Domestic Violence-Related Hospital Visits Likely Due to

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