BILLINGS — In honor of spreading awareness for Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to give back to the community, healthcare providers at St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings donated teddy bears to child victims of domestic violence.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to spread awareness about violence in the home and to support survivors in the community.
See healthcare providers donate 200 teddy bears in the video below:
Leaders at St. Vincent Regional Hospital work alongside the Billings Police Department to bring reassurance and hope to Montana's most vulnerable populations.
On Thursday, the team donated 200 teddy bear kits to the Family Justice Center in Billings. Each kit included a hand-stuffed teddy bear, birth certificate, and a hand-written note with words of encouragement.
"These are gifts that will be given to children in need when they are in (vulnerable positions)," said Janet Harris, the chief nursing officer at the hospital. "Sometimes this is the only thing they have to get through that."
According to Brandon Wooley, the captain of operations for the Billings Police Department, the teddy bears act as a physical form of comfort and support for child victims of domestic violence during police interrogations, re-homing placements, or hospital visits.
It's a true need in the community, as 90 percent of the cases the Family Justice Center sees involve children.
"Very small things can make a large difference when somebody's in a vulnerable position. And so this is a true gift from the community, and it proves that small things have a big action," said Wooley.
