By Laura Gasque
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing retired Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Clinical Education Ashley Hodges, PhD, CRNP, WHNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN (MSN 1997, PhD 2008), is being recognized for her work combating human trafficking. Hodges is part of the team that received the inaugural “Outstanding Victim Protection in Countering Human Trafficking” award from the Center for Countering Human Trafficking within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Hodges, along with other members of Birmingham’s Multidisciplinary Team, received the award in January in Washington, D.C., during the newly established DHS annual awards in Countering Human Trafficking. The multidisciplinary team includes law enforcement officers, judicial officials and other service providers working together to improve the detection and care of trafficking survivors. It also works to increase accountability for perpetrators. The team’s work has been recognized as a national model for addressing child trafficking.
“It is such an honor be recognized with these amazing colleagues in the fight against child sex trafficking. The commitment and support of the Center for Countering Human Trafficking is paramount to the success of our efforts here in Alabama and across the country,” Hodges said. “The impact of these efforts is being seen in the work we do every day. Using a victim-centered approach, the team is impacting all aspects of the rescue and recovery of the child. At the Sunrise Clinic we welcome every survivor of child sexual exploitation as a whole, healing person.”
Hodges provides medical care to survivors of childhood sex trafficking at the Sunrise Clinic at Children’s of Alabama. The clinic, founded in partnership with UAB, offers comprehensive medical care to survivors of child trafficking and consultations with service providers and community members who encounter children who may have been trafficked. The Sunrise Clinic is held within Children’s Hospital Intervention and Prevention Services Center. It comprises nurses, case managers, therapists and medical staff who are devoted to the care of survivors of child abuse.
Hodges also provides care to survivors of human trafficking at The WellHouse, a nonprofit, faith-based organization that offers a safe, residential environment and trauma-informed health care to its residents.
