Family Peace Center Announces New Partnership with Mercyhealth

The Family Peace Center is proud to announce a new partnership with Mercyhealth's Family Medicine Residency Program that will bring essential medical care directly to survivors of domestic violence. Starting in July, resident doctors from the program - who have completed medical school and are practicing under the supervision of an attending physician - will be on-site at the Family Peace Center every Friday morning.

These residents will provide compassionate, trauma-informed care to survivors and their children, offering routine checkups, guidance on chronic health conditions, treatment for acute injuries, and assistance with prescriptions. This collaboration bridges a critical gap for survivors, many of whom face significant barriers to accessing medical services after experiencing abuse.

All participating residents have received specialized training from Family Peace Center staff, as well as a local survivor, focusing on delivering trauma-informed care that prioritizes safety, dignity and healing.

"This partnership helps fill a huge gap in care for the survivors in our community," said Jennifer Cacciapaglia, Executive Director of Mayor's Office of Domestic and Community Violence Prevention. "When people are recovering from trauma, it's vital that we remove as many barriers as possible to the services they need - and that includes health care. By providing medical support right here at the Family Peace Center, we're ensuring that survivors are met with compassion, professionalism and support every step of the way."

"Mercyhealth is enthusiastic about this new partnership that will provide such an important need to some of our most vulnerable community members," said Dr. John Dorsey, Mercyhealth Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. "This also greatly enhances our family medicine residency program, as our residents will benefit from the additional training from the staff at the Family Peace Center and the perspective of survivors."

The partnership is yet another step in the City of Rockford's commitment to supporting survivors and building a community where every person feels safe, seen and cared for.