Title : Human trafficking in the healthcare setting
Abstract:
Human trafficking and exploitation represent a growing public health and behavioral health crisis affecting communities across the United States and globally. Victims frequently interact with healthcare systems while actively being trafficked, yet many healthcare professionals receive little formal education on how to recognize indicators, respond safely, or connect patients with appropriate resources. Healthcare organizations therefore serve as critical intervention points for vulnerable individuals experiencing exploitation, trauma, substance use disorders, homelessness, domestic violence, and severe mental illness.
Presented in collaboration with OUR Rescue, this session provides healthcare professionals, behavioral health providers, administrators, educators, and community leaders with a practical and trauma-informed framework for recognizing and responding to suspected trafficking within medical settings. The presentation reviews the scope of trafficking, the growing role of online exploitation and child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and the intersection between trafficking and behavioral health conditions including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
Participants will learn to identify clinical, behavioral, and environmental red flags encountered in emergency departments, urgent care clinics, primary care, behavioral health settings, OB/GYN clinics, and inpatient environments. The session emphasizes trauma-informed communication strategies, patient safety considerations, mandatory reporting principles, and organizational readiness planning. Attendees will also explore how healthcare organizations can implement policies, workflows, staff education, referral pathways, and multidisciplinary approaches that improve identification while minimizing retraumatization and risk.
This presentation combines public health awareness, behavioral health education, healthcare systems strategy, and actionable frontline interventions designed to strengthen organizational readiness and improve outcomes for trafficking survivors.
