New program at AdventHealth Parker aims to support human trafficking victims

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January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and AdventHealth Parker took a step to support victims through a new program.

On Thursday, January 23, emergency department nurses were invited to take part in human trafficking prevention training hosted by the non-profit, From Silenced to Saved. The training focused on educating team members on how to spot and support victims.

Nurses sit in a training session

According to a study of human trafficking survivors, the average victim was seen in a health care setting about nine times before they were discovered. Sixty-eight percent of them reported visiting an emergency department.

“AdventHealth heard that statistic and wanted to get ahead of that and make sure all of their emergency room nurses would understand the signs and know how to help,” said Jenelle Goodrich, Founder and Executive Director of From Silenced to Saved.

This training is all thanks to the hard work of AdventHealth Parker emergency department nurse Mary “MK” Marnell, RN. In 2024, she was nominated for a Nightingale Award for her work to support human trafficking victims in the emergency room. Since then, she has been working with emergency department educator Dani Andrews, RN, to bring this important training to AdventHealth Parker.

“My biggest message to the team is if you see something, say something. Even though we aren’t law enforcement, we can still report it and get the ball rolling and offer resources to those who need it,” said MK.

This program is already having an impact on other AdventHealth Parker emergency department nurses.

“As nurses, we’re passionate about ensuring our patients are safe and we are providing whole-person care,” said Kelcie Farnes, RN. “It’s scary to think that we could be caring for a human trafficking victim and not realize it. That’s why it’s so important to have these tips and better understand what to look out for.”

Moving forward, every emergency department nurse at AdventHealth Parker will go through human trafficking awareness training as part of the onboarding process.

“The more people who attend this training, the more we can work together to build a really good safety net and make sure we are doing the right thing and getting help to those who need it,” said Kelcie.

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