Fern Martin
This is the second in a series of columns previewing the presenters at the Imagine – Learn/Inspire/Act Conference being held on Saturday, May 6 at the Almonte Civitan Hall. The What Now Lanark County Committee is pleased to share the biography of Tara Leach whose talk will be Could Their Relationship Be Affecting Their Health? Tara will describe abuse tactics of coercion and control including reproductive coercion as well as non-fatal strangulation which is an under-recognized circumstance of gender-based violence and can lead to traumatic brain injury. She will also describe assessment and treatment.
Tara’s presentation will be of particular interest to healthcare and social service workers as well as police and people in the justice system who are dealing with victims of assault. It has recently become apparent that many assault victims do not respond as expected due to undiagnosed concussions. A December 28, 2022 article in The Globe and Mail that discussed a call for more research into the effect of intimate partner violence on women’s brains revealed, “Researchers estimate that approximately one in eight Canadian women are likely suffering from an unrecognized brain injury related to domestic violence… [T]his amounts to 4,500 concussed women for every one concussed NHL player… Because physical abuse is most commonly inflicted to the head, neck and face, research estimates that up to 75 percent of abused women could suffer a concussion or brain injury as a result.”
Biography
Tara Leach is a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) with a certification from the Canadian Nurses Association in psychiatric and mental health nursing. She has supported the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centres in various roles and capacities and has been a SANE educator since 2016. Tara is currently working directly with youth within the Ottawa District School Board through a partnership with the South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre to support the Urban Priorities project. She is a professor at Algonquin College in the Victimology program and she is the founder of a Nurse Practitioner-led clinic called H.E.A.L.T.H which specializes in those who are affected by human trafficking.
What Now Lanark County is fortunate to have this accomplished professional take part in the conference. Her commitment and front-line experience will combine to make a compelling presentation. Conference tickets are $40 (includes lunch and snacks) and will be available soon at ticketsplease.ca. For more information contact whatnowlanarkcounty@gmail.com.
