About DOVE
The DOVE program offers a wide array of services to victims and survivors of intimate partner violence. Based at Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, the program serves those facing physical and emotional abuse in relationships, whether they are patients, those referred after police-involved incidents or self-referred members of the community. The DOVE Program offers survivor-centered, trauma-informed help that is free and confidential, regardless of race, age, religion, gender identification or sexual orientation. Services include crisis intervention in the hospital, safety planning, the Lethality Assessment Program that works to supports victims identified by police, court accompaniment and legal representation for protective orders, counseling services, support groups, on-going case management, and training and outreach for the community. All DOVE services embrace the survivor’s empowerment, as DOVE staff work together with clients on client-defined goals. DOVE is committed to ending violence and views the problem as a social justice issue, recognizing the compounded effects of sexism, racism, poverty, able-ism, homophobia, ageism and other forms of oppression on the individuals whom the program assists.
Meet Audrey
Audrey Bergin started the DOVE program in 2004 because she recognized domestic violence as a public health issue, and wanted to use her years of experience working with abused children and survivors of domestic violence to make a difference. DOVE was the fourth hospital-based domestic violence program in Maryland and the first in Baltimore County. Audrey and the DOVE Program have won numerous awards for their work. Audrey plays a leading role in statewide and local efforts to counter domestic violence, as past president of the Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence and as the chair of Baltimore County’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, among other positions.
Adapting to a Pandemic
COVID has meant increased stressors on victims of domestic violence in terms of their health, financial pressures, and the dangers of being quarantined with abusive partners. DOVE has had to shift its work capacity to ensure that services are still accessible to patients and clients. Many forms of contacts, from counseling appointments to support groups and more, have shifted to virtual platforms. Use of phones and even texting has also increased; DOVE staff ensure that the calls happen when an abuser is not present, and they will establish a safety plan with clients when necessary on how to handle keeping these communications safe and private, as well as what to do if confidentiality is compromised.
Growth and Impact
DOVE has grown from a small program serving 100 survivors each year to the largest, most comprehensive hospital-based program in the state, serving over 1,400 individuals each year. Even though the pandemic has presented challenges to service delivery as DOVE staff work remotely and clients may find barriers to accessing help, in 2020 DOVE Staff worked with 1,427 survivors, providing over 7,000 follow up services (including 1,426 counseling sessions and 1,595 legal services). DOVE has come to be seen as the major domestic violence service provider in western Baltimore County.
Center for hope 