Sexual Violence Costs Utahns Dearly: Government spends 5 times more on perpetrators than victims

(Salt Lake City, UT).  For the first time, the Utah Department of Health and Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault have released data showing the economic burden of sexual violence in Utah. The report revealed the costs resulting from sexual violence during a one-year period totaled nearly $5 billion, or approximately $1,700 per Utah resident.

Studies in Utah indicate that one in three women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime and that one in eight women and one in 50 men will experience rape. While Utah falls well below the national average for most violent crimes, the rape rate exceeds the national average. “From year to year, our rape rate is consistently higher than that of the U.S.,” said Teresa Brechlin, UDOH Violence Prevention Coordinator. “We are 7th lowest in the country for homicide but 9th highest for reported rape. This is troubling.”

In addition to the expenditures borne by the social systems that address sexual violence, there are significant personal costs to victims. In fact, the greatest cost of sexual violence – nearly $4 billion – is the pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life that victims experience throughout their lives. Costs due to suffering and lost quality of life, suicidal acts, substance abuse, mental health care, and lost work are the top five most expensive outcomes of sexual violence.

A 25-year-old Utah woman, who wished to remain anonymous, knows these costs all too well. “After the assault, even the simplest day-to-day activities were a struggle for me. I suffered from debilitating social anxiety. I dropped out of school and had a hard time holding down a job.”  This survivor’s experience is not unusual. Victims of sexual violence report being less satisfied with life, having poorer health, not receiving adequate social and emotional support, and being more limited in their activities than those who had not experienced sexual violence. 

For children, sexual violence costs averaged $184,504 per incident. For adults, rape costs were $154,598 per incident and other sexual assaults cost $282 per incident. Data from the report also revealed dramatic differences in the resources that are allocated after a person is sexually assaulted. In 2011, the Utah state government spent approximately $16.5 million on victims of sexual violence (15.1%), while spending more than $92 million on perpetrators of sexual violence (84.4%). Only $569,000 or 0.5% was spent on efforts to prevent sexual violence.

“In spite of significant resources expended on perpetrators of rape and sexual assault, reports of sexual violence have continued to increase; while the negative impacts on victims go largely unaddressed.” said Alana Kindness, executive director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “While there is clearly a need to strengthen the criminal justice response to these crimes, it is also clear that a more comprehensive strategy is needed; one that includes an investment in the well-being of those impacted by the crime. This will require increased investment in services that can reduce the long-term costs of unaddressed victimization and a strong commitment to prevention.”

Rape and other forms of sexual violence are preventable.  “Every day, we have opportunities to promote healthy and safe attitudes and beliefs about relationships, gender, and sexuality. We have a responsibility to intervene when we witness unhealthy attitudes and behaviors toward others,” said Ned Searle, Director of the Utah Office on Domestic and Sexual Violence.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual violence call the rape crisis and information line at (888) 421-1100. To download a copy of the report Costs of Sexual Violence in Utah, visit www.health.utah.gov/vipp or www.UCASA.org. 

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Media Contacts:
Teresa Brechlin
Violence & Injury Prevention Program
(o) 801-538-538-6888 (m) 801-814-5857
Megan Waters
(o) 801-538-6626 (m) 906-458-2701

Air Quality Resources Can Help Utahns Make Good Health Decisions on Poor Air Quality Days

(Salt Lake City, Utah) – In the midst Utah’s winter inversion season, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) wants to remind Utah residents of several resources they can use to help protect their health during times of poor air quality.

The Department’s Environmental Epidemiology Program maintains a web site with must-read air quality information. Along with air quality conditions that are updated hourly and forecasts supplied by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), visitors can find out how the most common air pollutants affect health, as well as actions that can reduce exposure to harmful air and minimize its adverse health effects. Additionally, the site provides a storehouse of links to the most informative Utah-specific and national air quality resources. 

“We believe people with good information make good choices about their health,” said UDOH environmental toxicologist Craig Dietrich. “We want Utahns to know there is a wealth of high-quality, unbiased information at their fingertips.”

The Department’s MotherToBaby Utah program is a valuable resource for women who are pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant, or are breastfeeding. The program is staffed by trained professionals who can answer questions and provide advice to women who have concerns over how air quality may affect their pregnancy. MotherToBaby Utah is a free service and can be accessed by calling 800-822-2229.

The Department’s Asthma Program offers several resources for adults and children with asthma to help control their symptoms on poor air quality days. The program provides daily recess guidance to schools throughout the state to help determine when students should be kept indoors for recess on poor air quality days.

The Asthma Program also offers air quality flags to help raise awareness about daily air quality conditions. Schools and local organizations can contact the Utah Asthma Program for a free flag kit (limited supply) that corresponds to the Air Quality Index and each day raise a flag that matches current air quality conditions.

People with asthma can also download a symptom-tracking sheet to help them determine at what air quality levels they experience more severe symptoms.

“We know poor air quality has an adverse effect on people’s health,” said Brittany Guerra from the UDOH Asthma Program. “However, everyone is impacted differently, so when people have a better feel for what level of air quality exacerbates their symptoms they can better manage their asthma.”

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Media Contact:

Craig Dietrich, Ph.D., DABT

Utah Department of Health

801-538-6832

 

UDOH, Local Physicians Urge HPV Vaccine for Ages 11 and Up

(Salt Lake City, UT) – You can’t protect your children from everything, but thanks to the HPV vaccine, you can protect them from HPV-related cancers. This is the driving force behind a series of new videos featuring local physicians launched by the Utah Department of Health’s (UDOH) Cancer Control Program (UCCP) and University of Utah Health Care, whose physicians tell parents about the importance of getting their sons and daughters vaccinated.

“There is a significant gap between awareness of the HPV vaccine and knowledge of it,” said Lynette Phillips, UCCP Program Manager. “The goal of these videos is to answer some of the most common questions parents and adolescents have about the vaccine and to let them know the vaccine is cancer prevention.”

The vaccine protects against cervical and several other cancers in both males and females and is recommended for girls and boys at age 11 or 12. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Utah, only 25.2 percent of females and 14.4 percent of males aged 13-15 had completed the recommended three-dose series of shots in 2014. Nationally, among adolescents aged 13-15 years, coverage for the three-dose series of HPV vaccine was 34.4 percent among females and 20.6 percent among males. HPV vaccination coverage lags behind other adolescent vaccination estimates and these percentages fall well below the national goal of 80 percent coverage for adolescents.

“As researchers worldwide search for cures for many types of cancer, we already have a proven prevention technique that could eliminate one form of cancer. That’s why we need to help protect our children by promoting HPV vaccination,” said Dr. Brandon Reynolds, an obstetrician and gynecologist with University of Utah Health Care featured in the videos.

“We hope this campaign will encourage parents to talk to their child's pediatrician about HPV,” said Phillips. “The cancers and complications caused by HPV can have lifelong consequences for children and adults. The vaccine is a safe and easy way to protect our kids from one more health risk."

Parents with questions about the HPV vaccine should contact their health care provider, pharmacist, or local health department. To see the videos, visit http://cancerutah.org/hpv/your-questions-answered.php. 

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Media Contact:
Shannon Rice
Cancer Control Program
(o) 801-538-6277 (m) 801-699-8149

Top 10 Public Health Stories in Utah in 2015

1. UDOH welcomes Dr. Joseph Miner as new Executive Director – On August 3, 2015, Governor Gary R. Herbert announced Dr. Joseph Miner as the new Executive Director of the Utah Department of Health. Dr. Miner had previously led the Utah County Health Department for 32 years. He replaced David Patton who resigned in July to pursue a job opportunity in the private health care sector. 
   
   
2. 7,100 people exposed to Hepatitis C – Public health initiated an investigation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in connection with the emergency departments at McKay-Dee Hospital and Davis Hospital and Medical Center. It appeared the transmission of the disease was consistent with a situation where a hospital employee was diverting drugs. Approximately 7,100 people were notified of the possible exposure to HCV.
3. Utah Medicaid Program – Utah’s Medicaid Program saw big changes in 2015. The governor’s Healthy Utah plan, which would extend Medicaid coverage to low-income adults, failed to pass in the 2015 legislative session. A modified plan, UtahAccess+, designed and unveiled by leaders of the House and Senate was voted down in October during a closed caucus meeting. This topic of conversation will likely continue in the 2016 legislative session. Additionally, on July 1, 2015, Medicaid expanded the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model to nine additional counties. Now members living in Cache, Rich, Morgan, Box Elder, Tooele, Wasatch, Summit, Iron, Washington in addition to the original Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, and Utah counties receive their care through an ACO. This model will help to better align financial incentives to control costs and to deliver appropriate care to Medicaid members. Now, more than 86% of Medicaid members receive services through an ACO and it is estimated that the ACOs produced $11 million of General Fund savings in the past two years.
   
   
   Finally, in December 2015, Utah’s Medicaid Director for the past 10 years, Michael Hales, announced his resignation to pursue opportunities in the private sector. Medicaid has an operating budget of nearly $2.5 billion and is a vital and essential part of Utah’s health care infrastructure; providing nearly 320,000 Utahns with access to health care each year. Hales also served as deputy director of the UDOH.
   
4. Helping men maintain their mental health the “manly way” – Together with the Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition and National Alliance on Mental Illness Utah, the Utah Department of Health launched a suicide prevention campaign for men ages 25-64 called Man Therapy. The campaign was highly successful; launching Utah to the #1 spot in terms of states with the highest traffic to mantherapy.org and garnering 1.2 million impressions on Pandora and 22.7K impressions on a single Facebook post. But most importantly, the humorous campaign is saving lives. Robert Kirby, a columnist with the Salt Lake Tribune, received an email from a reader who, after reading Kirby’s article on Man Therapy,  was encouraged to finally get help with his lifelong mental issues, likely saving his life that day.
   
   
   
5. Buckle up – Effective May 12, 2015, not wearing a seat belt became a primary offense in Utah, meaning drivers could be pulled over by law enforcement just for not wearing a seat belt. Seat belts are the single most effective traffic safety device for preventing death and injury in a crash. Research shows that states with primary seat belt laws have higher seat belt usage rates and lower motor vehicle fatality rates. To learn more and to hear stories of Utahns saved by wearing a seat belt, visit Zero Fatalities.
   
   
6. Groundbreaking for the Unified State Laboratory – On June 29, 2015, officials from the Utah Department of Health, Utah Department of Public Safety, Lt. Governor’s office, Utah Administrative Services, Utah State Legislature, Taylorsville City, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, and Utah Division of Facilities, Construction, and Management broke ground on module 2 of the Unified State Laboratory. The new facility will house the State Medical Examiner, State Crime Lab, and food safety labs. The facilities will contain critically needed space to prevent overcrowding, modern safety and engineering features, and state-of-the-art equipment to keep the public safe for generations to come. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2016.
   
   
7. Utah youth e-cigarette usage nearly doubles – Data showed a substantial increase in the use of electronic cigarettes by youth in grades 8, 10, and 12; revealing that 10.5% of Utah youth reported they currently use e-cigarettes, nearly double the 5.8% reported in 2013. To download the full report, visit http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/pdfs/tpcpfy15report.pdf.
   
   
8. Measles outbreak in Utah County – Public health officials declared the end of a measles outbreak that infected three unvaccinated Utah residents and exposed nearly 400 others to the highly contagious virus. The cases were part of a large multi-state outbreak linked to Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure. 
9. Newborn Screening (NBS) Program receives Governor's Award for Excellence for improving test turnaround times – All babies born in the state for 38 different disorders within the first few days of their lives. Newborn screening is critically dependent on timeliness, so the NBS program entered into a partnership with FedX and the Utah Hospital Association to ensure all blood samples would be received within three days at no cost to the hospital. Prior to this partnership, nearly 34% of newborn screening samples were received within 4-7 days of birth. Following the partnership, that rate dropped nearly in half to 19% and the overall average transport time has improved to less than 1.5 days. The improvement has already resulted in at least one success story: Within several days of the program’s implementation a baby born in a rural hospital was identified as having a life-threatening metabolic disorder. Through prompt screening, the disorder was treated and the baby is thriving. Without the timely screening, the baby most likely would not have survived. For these efforts, Governor Herbert honored the program with the Governor’s Award for Excellence.
   
   
10. Autism services now available for medicaid recipients – As of July 1, 2015, autism spectrum disorders (ASD)-related services are now available to Medicaid recipients under the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment program. The program offers comprehensive preventive health care services for individuals younger than age 21 who are enrolled in Traditional Medicaid. ASD services can include diagnostic assessments and evaluations; therapies such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy; and services rooted in principles of applied behavior analysis or ABA.

State Medicaid Director Stepping Down

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) today announced Michael Hales, who has served as Medicaid director for the past ten years, is stepping down to pursue opportunities in the private sector. In addition to overseeing the Medicaid program, Hales also serves as deputy director of the UDOH.

Hales oversaw one of the largest and most important programs in state government. Medicaid has an operating budget of nearly $2.5 billion, and is a vital and essential part of Utah’s health care infrastructure, providing nearly 320,000 Utahns with access to health care.

“Michael Hales has done a tremendous job in a demanding and challenging position in state government,” Gov. Gary R. Herbert said. “The complex program he directed was always in the spotlight. But his top priority was always the vulnerable Utahns who rely on the program to access health care.”

Under Hales’ leadership, the Medicaid program has undergone significant reforms that have benefited taxpayers and program recipients alike. In 2007 the program implemented the Medicaid Preferred Drug List (PDL); last year alone the PDL saved taxpayers $46 million. Hales also oversaw the conversion to Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations, essentially shifting health care providers to a model that values quality of care versus quantity of care for recipients. Several other Medicaid services have also been expanded under Hales’ watch, including services to cover children with autism and other medically complex conditions.

“As Medicaid director, Michael Hales worked tirelessly to ensure that Medicaid consumers were treated fairly and received appropriate care,” said Matt Slonaker, executive director of the Utah Health Policy Project. “Michael’s tenure saw great change and transition and he directed with a capable and steady hand to ensure the success of the Medicaid program for our friends, family and neighbors who utilize the program.” 

Nathan Checketts, currently serving as Medicaid deputy director, will assume the role of interim Medicaid director effective December 31, 2015. A search for Hales’ replacement will begin early next year. By state law, the Medicaid director is appointed by the governor, with advice and consent from the Utah State Senate.

 

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Media Contact:

Tom Hudachko

801-538-6232

801-560-4649