One out of eight women in Oregon is a victim of domestic violence, according to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital spokeswoman Dorothy Velasco.
Since 1987, October has been recognized as a time to educate the people of the United States about domestic violence, and in 1989, Congress officially recognized it as such.
To correspond with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, McKenzie-Willamette Hospital is coordinating the Domestic Violence Intervention Project to address the importance of communication between physicians and their patients in hopes that victims can be more effectively identified. Twenty thousand postcards will be distributed to inform physicians of the need for domestic violence screening, Velasco said, in the hopes of reaching women before victimization becomes fatal.
“Homicide is the leading cause of death for women,” said Velasco.
She said of the women who are victims of domestic violence, one out of four are 18 to 34 years old.
“Those are the women who have children at home,” Velasco said. In March of 2000, McKenzie-Willamette reported 20 percent of the women in its birthing center were victims of domestic violence.
In 1997, about one-third of the Lane County Jail was occupied by domestic violence offenders, Velasco said. To counterbalance these numbers, Eugene has several services available to victims of domestic violence who are in need of assistance.
Womenspace is a 20-year-old crisis intervention service that provides support groups, youth outreach programs, a drop-in advocacy center and a shelter for victims of domestic abuse, which houses an average of 250 families each year. Womenspace also offers a 24-hour hotline that receives an average of 4,000 calls per year.
Cheryl O’Neill, who is a spokeswoman for Womenspace, said that in 1998, 33,088 adolescents aged 12 to 19 were the victims of date-violence nationwide.
Sexual Assault Support Services is another 20-year service which provides an advocacy center, a 24-hour hotline, free support groups and self-defense courses.
Crime Victim and Survival Services is a 15-year service that features a 24-hour response team. The types of crisis intervention this service provides include support, referral evaluations, accompaniment to court hearings during criminal procedures, restitution for financial loss and the return of personal property.
“A lot of the time it’s (non-marital) violence,” said Nancy Lukasik, a spokeswoman for CVSS.
So far this year, 689 domestic violence cases have been received by CVSS, and the service processed 2,057 restriction orders in 2000. An average of 7.9 requests for restriction orders are made daily, although numbers can reach as high as 15 per day, Lukasik said.
CVSS and the other domestic violence programs operating in Eugene all provide training for volunteers.
Campus groups also have organized several campus events for the next week to increase domestic violence awareness. People can share poetry and songs addressing issues of sexual and dating violence at an open mic night in The Buzz Coffeehouse on Oct. 11. DJ Ronnie will play music focusing on resistance to violence against women Oct. 12 in the EMU Amphitheater, and the improvisational student group Absolute Improv will perform in “Envisioning a World Without Violence” on Oct. 12.
On campus, students who have experienced domestic violence have many options, Women’s Center Office Coordinator Lori Brown said, adding that she hopes students will have greater exposure to support groups throughout the month.
The Women’s Center and the Office of Student Life provide advocacy and support, and individuals or couples can make appointments with counselors at the Student Health Center, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Joy Lum, a psychologist on staff at the health center, said she encourages students and couples to come and talk with a counselor about past or present domestic violence issues.
She said it is important for students to be aware of domestic violence because “dating violence happens across all spectrums.”

— Diane Huber contributed to this article.