Domestic Violence: The Secret Killer That Costs $8.3 Billion Annually

In case you missed it, FORBES published an important article that discusses the importance of employers’ role in ending domestic violence.
Domestic Violence: The Secret Killer That Costs $8.3 Billion Annually by Robert Pearl, MD
an excerpt:  Domestic violence is all around us. It affects our families, our friends, our coworkers and our neighbors. Most of the time, we are not aware it’s happening.
In the U.S., 24 percent of adult women and 14 percent of adult men have been physically assaulted by a partner at some point in their lives. It is the most common cause of injury for women ages 18 to 44. And it leads to an increased incidence of chronic disease: Abused women are 70 percent more likely to have heart disease, 80 percent more likely to experience a stroke and 60 percent more likely to develop asthma.
Nearly a quarter of employed women report that domestic violence has affected their work performance at some point in their lives. Each year, an estimated 8 million days of paid work is lost in the U.S. because of domestic violence.
Domestic violence costs $8.3 billion in expenses annually: a combination of higher medical costs ($5.8 billion) and lost productivity ($2.5 billion).
Addressing this issue could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars. But as long as the symptoms and consequences of domestic violence go unnoticed or overlooked, nothing changes.
 Read the full article at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpearl/2013/12/05/domestic-violence-the-secret-killer-that-costs-8-3-billion-annually