Maryland

FreeState Justice is a legal advocacy organization that seeks to improve the lives of low-income lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (“LGBTQ”) Marylanders. Despite recent, incremental judicial victories for the national LGBTQ community, the low-income LGBTQ population continues to struggle with legal challenges such harassment, complex family law issues, and anti-LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing, foster care, healthcare and public accommodations. In addition to needing attorneys with specific knowledge of how the law affects LGBTQ citizens, LGBTQ clients need attorneys who will treat them with respect and understanding. FreeState’s mission is to combine direct legal services with education and outreach to ensure that the low-income LGBTQ community Maryland receives fair treatment in the law and society.

IAFN is the only international professional organization of registered nurses formed exclusively to develop, promote, and disseminate information about the science of forensic nursing nationally and internationally.The Office on Violence Againt Women (OVW) engaged in a Cooperative Agreement with the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) as a partner to assist in the nationwide dissemination of the National SAFE Protocol of 2004 and to provide technical assistance to those jurisdictions interested in implementing those recommendations. 

The Center for Sex Offender Management’s primary goal is to enhance public safety by preventing further victimization through improving the management of sex offenders in the community. CSOM provides the most current information and effective practices to those responsible for managing sex offenders; captures lessons from communities around the country who have demonstrated — through collaboration between criminal justice and health system agencies — that they can manage sex offenders and increase public safety; disseminates those lessons; and provides the opportunity for other jurisdictions to draw upon these experiences, enhance their practices, and create similar results by offering a variety of technical assistance opportunities.

Sidran Traumatic Stress Institute, Inc. is a nonprofit organization of international scope exclusively focused on educating patients, healthcare providers, and the public about recovery from traumatic stress (including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Sidran develops and delivers books and videotapes, assessment and teaching tools, and educational programs customized to meet the needs of specific consumer and professional populations. Sidran collaborates with other nonprofit organizations, private providers, government agencies (local, county, state, and federal), media and industry to raise the level of understanding and competence in regard to traumatic stress conditions.

The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Alliance is a group of professional and advocacy organizations that have joined forces to provide educational resources to individuals diagnosed with PTSD and their loved ones; those at risk for developing PTSD; and medical, healthcare and other frontline professionals. The PTSD Alliance includes four national organizations that represent healthcare issues related to PTSD; including trauma-related stress, women’s healthcare and anxiety disorders. These organizations are the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the Sidran Traumatic Stress Institute.