Cathy Plourde discusses Add Verb Productions' focus on domestic violence on WMPG Safe Place

On Wednesday, April 18, 2012, Cathy Plourde, director of of UNE's Add Verb Productions, appeared as a guest on the the WMPG show Safe Space. The interview, which is online, is part of the show' s current focus on domestic violence. Plourde talked about Add Verb's new play, "Major Medical Breakthrough."

"Major Medical Breakthrough" focuses on the role that all health care providers can play in preventing domestic violence.

Plourde tells the story of writing a play to inspire health care providers to screen their patients for domestic violence.  She gave sobering statistics about the high numbers of women and some men, who are being abused who see their doctors during the abuse and are never asked about it.  Indeed only 10-19 percent of doctors report that they screen their patients routinely for domestic violence. Plourde stressed that where there is domestic violence, there is also likely to be sexual assault, something that often goes unasked about. Listen to the half hour interview.

Add Verb was founded in 2000 with a mission of using theatre in health and wellness education, and is currently a program of the University of New England's Westbrook College of Health Professions.