EvergreenHealth Medical Center is collaborating with the non-profit, Seattle Against Slavery, to fight labor and sex trafficking. The aim of the partnership is to equip EvergreenHealth staff with the tools to best respond to indications of human trafficking in a health care setting.
On June 21, EvergreenHealth’s forensic nurse examiner team hosted a training event lead by Seattle Against Slavery’s community mobilization director. EvergreenHealth staff, including nurses, physicians and social workers, learned identifying signs of exploitation in children and adults.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, it is not uncommon for victims of human trafficking to see a health care provider while being trafficking. In particular, the first professionals to have contact with women and girls experiencing human trafficking are almost always health care workers. Empowering health care workers to recognize human trafficking when it appears in their hospitals is an instrumental tool in fighting sex and labor trafficking in Washington State.
