TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa General Hospital has become Florida's first hospital to train all of its staff to spot signs that a patient is a victim of human trafficking.
Attorney General Ashley Moody joined TGH officials on Thursday to announce the new training efforts and said it would be vital to the state's efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly as 9 out of 10 victims typically look for medical help while they are being trafficked.
"As we gain more awareness and gain more insight into how this works and plays out in society, it's not always how you might imagine it or see it in the movies. Sometimes it happens right under our noses," Moody said.
To illustrate that point, Kim Figueroa, a trafficking survivor and mentor for the advocacy group More Too Life, described her experiences as a victim. Figueroa grew up in an abusive home and went through the system of foster care as a teenager, until she aged out and became homeless. Figueroa said she continued to be abused for six years after that point, bringing her number of years as a trafficking victim to 13.
"Throughout those 13 years, I cannot tell you how many times I came into contact with a medical professional to be treated for drug overdoses, substantial abuse that left scars on my body, or sexual abuse as a child, and all of it was unnoticed," Figueroa said, "I can remember as a little girl, CPI coming in a few times, case closed, and it would just carry on."
The Attorney General's office will provide specialized instruction for how TGH staff should interact with victims as well as how to identify and report the signs. Many have already undergone training.
"In less than a month, 464 team members at Tampa General have completed the training, and hundreds more are registered to participate," a press release from TGH reads.
Human trafficking remains a major issue in Florida, with the state ranking third in the number of calls made to the National Human Trafficking hotline.