iHEAL

Are you a woman who has separated from an abusive partner or is taking steps to separate?

Abuse can take a toll on women’s health, safety and well-being, even after they separate. A program called iHEAL provides personal support to help women manage some of the common challenges they face on a pathway toward happier, healthier, safer lives.

iHEAL was designed for women from all backgrounds who have experienced any type of violence (physical, emotional, sexual, financial) from a partner or ex-partner - whether the abuse is still happening or is in the past.

Backed by more than 15 years of research, women who have completed iHEAL have benefitted in many ways. More than 9 in 10 women who have completed iHEAL recommend the program to other women.

What women have said about iHEAL:

"The nurse made me realize my strengths, and my goals, and what I can do for self-care. Nobody ever tells me to take care of myself like that. So once I started doing that, then it really worked."

"It was very supportive…And I feel much stronger now that I’ve done it. The nurse helped me realize that I had all the stuff I needed."

"One of the best experiences I’ve had - like ‘life-giving’. It has empowered my life to move forward and not to take no for an answer … or to put up with abuse or violence from anybody."

How does it work?

A specially trained iHEAL nurse will meet with you in person for about 6 months - evey week or every other week, depending on what works for you – in a safe place where you feel comfortable.

At each session, you decide which issues you would like to focus on - whether that’s improving your health, safety, relationships, community connections, healing and growth, or access to basic resources.

Your iHEAL nurse will support you in dealing with what is most important to you and, if you like, to connect with local services for support after iHEAL ends.

There is no cost to you. If you think you may have problems or challenges taking part in this program, please let us know. We may be able to help.

Interested in learning more or enrolling?

You can safely and privately contact the Middlesex-London Health Unit to learn more about this program or get involved by either:

• Calling 519-663-5317, Monday to Friday, between 830 and 430 pm. Ask to speak to a nurse from the iHEAL program.
• Completing this contact form to let us know how we can safely contact you (e.g. by phone, voicemail, text, email or in another way).

A Public Health Nurse will call you back within 1 week to provide more information and answer your questions. If you are interested in signing up, the nurse can help you with this.

Please know that your safety is most important. We will only contact you with your permission, in a way that you tell us is safe.

Information for community agencies and professionals

The iHEAL program does not replace the services you provide to women who are experiencing violence. However, we aim to collaboratively strengthen supports for women through these important partnerships.

Many organizations would like more options to help meet women’s needs. We accept referrals from community agencies, health and social service professionals with a woman’s consent.

You can help women access the iHEAL program:

• Invite your clients/patients to learn more by visiting www.healthunit.com/iheal.
• With a woman’s consent, fill out a referral form (PDF) and fax it to us at 519-663-8243.
• Download and print our program flyer (PDF). Post the flyers in places that women will see them (e.g. women’s bathroom, sign-in or registration area, waiting room and other public boards).
• Encourage women served by your organization to invite friends/family members who might be interested to visit our website for more information.
• Post our weblink on your website or in a newsletter.
• Consider whether your organization might be able to provide a safe space for women to meet with nurses.

For more information, please contact us at 519-663-5317, Monday to Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. An iHEAL nurse will be pleased to answer your questions and/or to arrange a short presentation about iHEAL for your team, agency or group.

How to hide your cyber footprints

Every time you search for something on the internet or visit a website, your computer keeps track of it. If you think you are in an abusive relationship, you may not want your partner to find out that you have been searching for on the internet. For your safety, avoid using your own computer when searching for information.

There are ways to clear your computer’s browsing history and cache files but it is not a guarantee that everything has been removed from your computer.

How to clear history and cache files in Internet Explorer

• In the menu, click on Tools
• Click on Internet Options
• In General Options under Temporary Internet Files, Click on Delete Files. This clears your browser’s cache files.
• Under history, click on Clear History. This will clear the pages you have recently visited.

How to delete data from Google Chrome

• In the top-right corner of Chrome, click the Chrome menu
• Select More tools, Clear Browsing Data
• Select the checkboxes for the types of information that you want to delete
• Use the menu at the top to select the amount of data you want to delete, if you select "Beginning of Time" it will delete everything.
• Click Clear Browsing Data

How to clear history from Safari on an iPhone or iPad

• Go into Settings, then select Safari
• Select Clear History and Website Data
• Note: If you enable Private Browsing, Safari doesn’t remember the pages you visit.

How to clear history from Safari

• When in Safari, click on Edit
• Select Reset Safari
• You then can decide what to keep and what to delete
• Then click Reset
• Note: a quick way to check if it worked is to check your History and it should be empty. If you enable Private Browsing, Safari doesn’t remember the pages you visit.

How to clear history from Firefox

• In the top-right corner of Firefox, click the Menu button
• Click History
• Select Clear Recent History
• You can then select how long of a time range you want to delete
• Then click Clear Now