Survivors of domestic violence often arrive at the Rose Andom Center carrying injuries that cannot always be seen.

Trauma can affect every part of a person’s life, from their physical health and emotional well-being to their sense of safety and ability to move forward. Some survivors come to us with immediate medical needs. Others may be experiencing health concerns that have gone untreated while they focused on staying safe. Many are navigating fear, anxiety, stress, or the lasting effects of trauma alongside the practical challenges of rebuilding their lives.

From the beginning, the Rose Andom Center was created around a simple idea: survivors should not have to navigate these challenges alone.

By 2019, that commitment took another important step forward.

That year, the Rose Andom Health Clinic opened in partnership with Denver Health, with support from the Colorado Health Foundation, bringing medical and behavioral healthcare directly into the Rose Andom Center.

For survivors, this meant healthcare could become part of the coordinated support they were already receiving in a place where they felt safe and understood.

Instead of being asked to navigate another unfamiliar system or travel to another location, survivors could connect with healthcare professionals right at the Center. The addition of the clinic helped reduce another barrier to care while recognizing something that remains fundamental to our work today: healing is about more than addressing an immediate crisis.

It is about caring for the whole person.

Domestic violence can have profound and lasting effects on both physical and emotional health. By integrating healthcare into the services available at the Rose Andom Center, survivors could receive support that acknowledged those connections and responded to their needs with compassion.

Just as importantly, they could receive that care in an environment designed around their safety, dignity, and choices.

One survivor described what that experience meant during an especially difficult moment:

“I was scared and having trauma responses—you helped alleviate my panic.”

Those words capture why this milestone mattered.

Sometimes support means helping someone navigate the legal system or connecting them with an advocate. Sometimes it means helping a survivor understand their options and create a plan for safety. And sometimes it means having a healthcare professional nearby who understands trauma and can help someone feel safe enough to take the next step.

The opening of the Rose Andom Health Clinic strengthened our ability to respond to survivors as whole people, not simply to one need or one moment in their lives.

It also demonstrated the power of partnership that has defined the Rose Andom Center since its earliest days. By working together across organizations and areas of expertise, we can remove barriers that might otherwise prevent survivors from receiving the care and resources they deserve.

The partnership with Denver Health and support from the Colorado Health Foundation helped make it possible to bring another critical resource directly to survivors. It was one more example of what can happen when our community comes together around a shared commitment to survivor-centered care.

This is what holistic healing looks like.

It means recognizing that safety, physical health, emotional well-being, advocacy, and long-term stability are deeply connected. It means meeting survivors where they are and providing options that respond to their individual needs. And it means creating a community of support around survivors so they do not have to figure out what comes next on their own.

As we look back on ten years of the Rose Andom Center, 2019 represents an important chapter in our growth. The opening of the Health Clinic expanded what coordinated care could look like under one roof and strengthened our ability to support survivors not only in finding safety, but also in healing and moving forward.

That work continues today, made possible by partners, supporters, and community members who believe survivors deserve comprehensive, compassionate care.

Your support helps ensure survivors can receive care for their bodies, minds, and futures. It helps us continue building a place where survivors are believed, respected, and connected with the resources they need to determine their own path forward.

On October 17, we invite you to join us at the Rose Andom Center’s 10th Anniversary Gala as we celebrate milestones like this one and honor the survivors, staff, partners, donors, and community members who have shaped a decade of hope and healing.

Together, we will celebrate how far we have come and look ahead to the next decade of ensuring survivors have a safe place to turn and a community ready to stand beside them.