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#DR PANZARELLA AMHERST NY PC#
The doctors and healthcare providers related to Family Care Medicine, PC include:įamily medicine and primary care medicine. “Women need to know that there is hope and you can have a good life.Family Care Medicine, PC is a family medicine doctor practice located in
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“It’s great that Karen and I can bring our experience here and bring something positive to something that had been negative,” Mason said. It is as common in East Amherst as it is in the east side of Buffalo.”īut staffers at the center want victims to know that it can get better. “Domestic violence doesn’t know a geographic limitation. McGrath said abuse happens in every community. And according to victims - leaving them in a hundred million pieces.” This is about one person’s methods of control including violence, threats of violence, and highly, highly effective emotional, psychological, verbal and sexual abuse. “Perpetrators are phenomenally gifted at control. “Victims of abuse have been brainwashed into thinking they deserved it,” she said. Murphy said the center’s staff can help victims deal with the trauma of abuse. The center provides a place for women to feel safe, with no pressure from police or prosecutors, she added.
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Holly Tucker, Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit for Erie County’s district attorney, said reports made by trained nurses at the center can create a record of what has happened - through forensic mapping of injuries. Mason said if a Family Justice Center had been available then, she could have gone there discreetly. I knew people in the courts, family and friends that were there for parking violations,” she said. “I had to call the police and I knew the police,” she recalled.
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She said dealing with an abusive relationship years ago brought her a lot of shame. “They don’t have to cart themselves to family court and deal with the bedlam of court, which for someone facing trauma is an incredible strain.”Īnother Grand Island organizer is Laura Mason, who grew up on the island and whose father was a cop there. “They are talking to the person in Family Court remotely,” she said. Supervising Attorney for Neighborhood Legal Aid Patricia McGrath said victims can begin the process to obtain an order of protection using video conferencing on a computer at the center. “The easy answer is to put it all in one spot with all of these partners addressing anything they could possibly need,” said Murphy. The organization is already making plans to raise $150,000 to expand the site at 1801 Grand Island Boulevard. Since that time it has opened satellite offices in Orchard Park, Amherst - and most recently on Grand Island in June. It was belittling and quite frankly I could see how easy it would be to walk away at any point and not follow through with the process because it was so arduous.”ĭirector Mary Murphy said the Family Justice Center opened in 2006 in Buffalo to make reporting abuse easier. “It was a long treacherous day,” she recalled. Based on her own experience, she understands how daunting the courts can be. Panzarella now works with the center and is an outspoken advocate for victims of abuse. “One of the lowest points for me was when I had to go to family court to get a restraining order from my then-husband.” “The Family Justice Center wasn’t available to me over 20 years ago when I was in an abusive relationship,” she said. Karen Panzarella knows those emotions well. More than 85 percent of victims are women, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence.ĭr. Paralyzed by fear, shame, and indecision – some women may choose to live with domestic abuse until it is too late.ĭomestic violence is one of the most under reported crimes, second only to rape. WBFO’s Nancy Fischer has more about the center and its expansion plans. But Buffalo-area groups like the Family Justice Center can provide support.
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And those emotions can intensify when they take the first steps to prosecute an abuser. Victims of domestic abuse have to confront a wide range of emotions when they seek help.
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