Survivor Advocate Program Named National Award-Winning Program in Mutual of America's 2019 Community Partnership Award Competition

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mutual of America announced today that the Survivor Advocate Program received this year's Thomas J. Moran Award, presented annually to the national award-winning program in its 2019 Community Partnership Award competition.

The program was created in 2018 by the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (Cast) ? a nonprofit that addresses the issue of human trafficking in the U.S. ? through an innovative collaboration with Dignity Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The program helps improve the support provided when a victim of human trafficking seeks medical attention. Because health professionals may not immediately recognize that their patients are dealing with trauma beyond their physical injuries, the program embeds a Cast "survivor advocate" within Dignity Health's participating hospitals to help ensure that no victim of human trafficking is overlooked.

Cast's survivor advocate is also a survivor of human trafficking, helping this trained professional to play a critical role in supporting victims at the point of crisis and linking them to essential services. Equally important, the survivor advocate provides valuable training to hospital staff, helping them to respond to victims in a trauma-informed way.

"Human trafficking is a complex and often stigmatized crime, and the process of recovery can be long and arduous. Through our leading-edge partnership with Dignity Health, we're identifying and providing support to more victims in healthcare settings and empowering them to begin their journey to freedom and recovery," said Kay Buck, Chief Executive Officer for Cast. "Last year, Cast served 1,316 survivors of human trafficking and their families. Today, we are working on a training manual to help other hospitals replicate the Survivor Advocate Program nationwide."

About the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award annually honors the outstanding contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society. Since 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 240 partnerships from cities and towns across America. To watch videos of all of the national award-winning programs, visit the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award channel on YouTube.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America is a leading provider of retirement products, offering personalized service at a competitive price to help plan participants and individuals build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. Integrity, prudence and reliability are the values that have guided us since our inception in 1945 and that continue to serve us well. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com, and connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Mutual of America