VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, designed to raise awareness and educate communities, couples and families on resources to help prevent or stop domestic abuse.
Family advocacy set up outreach and informational display tables across the installation, and held a candlelight vigil with Domestic Violence Solutions to spread awareness.
“Months like October allow us to strengthen relationships and collaborate with other units,” said Capt. Nicolae Seri, 30th Medical Group Family Advocacy element chief. “We try to bring awareness on domestic violence prevention, and provide services if needed. We also try to educate people on statistics and risks so they can get help early before it leads to a domestic violence situation.”
Due the high demands of the holiday season, family and monetary obligations can cause a wide array of stressors that some may not be able to cope with.
“We have families that come in to request information or education prior to an incident because stressors can rise during the holidays,” said Ana Banda, 30th Medical Group victim advocate. “We have a lot of informational areas across the base. We have one at the front area of the Medical Group that has brochures on what services we provide.”
The 30th MDG also has a complementary staff to teach people coping skills such as social workers, psychologists, and victim advocates.
“For military members specifically, breaking a routine increases stress for people,” said Seri. “If you have limited coping skills or don’t have the patience to use them, that’s when families are more at risk for domestic violence incidents. Coming to see us will help identify what coping skills have worked in the past, and how you can improve on that.”
For more information on services, contact Family Advocacy at 805-606-5338.