As a U.S. Army post, Fort Detrick has its own domestic abuse prevention and treatment programs, though it works with other agencies in the wider community, such as Heartly House and child protective services.

The Family Advocacy Program, part of the Army Community Service, handles domestic violence prevention and treatment, as well as sexual assault response.

Preventing domestic violence is the larger goal, said Stephanie Schultz, the program's acting manager.

The program offers free services, including classes on improving communications skills, anger management and domestic violence education; and individual, marital and family counseling for those at risk of abuse. It also offers short-term child care for parents who are facing high levels of stress or are receiving other Family Action Program services.

The staff of this Army program are familiar with the idiosyncrasies of military life, including working with the command structure, and how to face stresses associated with the military, such as deployment, said Denise Roach, a prevention specialist with the program.

The program partners with Heartly House, which provides victim advocacy and spousal abuse prevention programs, and a 26-week-long abuse intervention program, said Lisa Homer, Family Advocacy's chief of social work services. That partnership gives the Fort Detrick community access to services it can't offer on its own.

"Rather than duplicate everything, it makes sense to do everything in partnership," said Barbara Martin, Heartly House's CEO.

Because personnel turns over so often at the post, Heartly House visits Fort Detrick regularly for outreach, she said.

Family Advocacy's education programs are open to the military and civilian employees of the Defense Department, but counseling programs are open to military service members and their families only.

The program tries to let the post community know about its offerings through advertisements, by being out and about, by offering referrals to people who seek other aid from ACS services and through training programs.

Program staff also get tips from community members who see what they think might be a problem, Homer said.

Beyond prevention, however, the program is the on-site treatment provider for domestic abuse cases and an investigator, Homer said.

The program's investigations of child or domestic abuse are focused more on securing treatment for families than on ascertaining the guilt or innocence of an abuser, she said. Once program staff finish an investigation, they develop a recommended treatment plan, and present it to a case review committee, and then to the post's command staff, who decide whether or how to implement it. Commanders usually take the staff's recommendations, Homer said.

The post has agreements with authorities in Frederick and Washington counties to ensure it is informed of issues, such as protective orders, that may affect the post, Homer said.

Under Defense Department rules, military installations must abide by protective orders issued by civilian courts, and active-duty service members face administrative or Uniform Code of Military Justice penalties for failing to abide by a civilian protective order.

Commanders can issue military protective orders, which are typically tailored to match civilian ones, or can be issued independently of civilian orders, Roach said.

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