Dignity Health Medical Safe Haven Partners with HEAL Trafficking and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to Unveil Guide to Bolster Financial Recovery for Human Trafficking Survivors

New Resource Addresses Previously Unmet Need in Quantifying Future Medical and Behavioral Health Losses for Backpage Remission Program Applicants

Dignity Health Medical Safe Haven, in partnership with HEAL Trafficking and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has released a tool for clinicians to accurately assess, quantify, and document the future medical and behavioral health needs of human trafficking survivors.

Drawing from Dignity Health Medical Safe Haven's decade of experience and over 8,000 patient encounters, this tool is designed to specifically empower clinicians supporting patients applying to the federal Backpage Remission Program, a victim compensation initiative managed by the U.S. Department of Justice and administered by Epiq Global. With $200 million in forfeited assets, the program offers survivors trafficked through Backpage.com (2004–2018) and CityXGuide (2018–2020) financial compensation for verified losses, including essential medical, mental health, and trauma-related care.

By strengthening this assessment process, Dignity Health Medical Safe Haven and NCMEC aim to reduce bias, promote equity, and create a more consistent and just approach to survivor compensation on a national scale.

“Human trafficking survivors face tremendous, long-term medical and mental health burdens that often go untreated as they work to rebuild their lives,” shares Dr. Ron Chambers, Medical Director of Dignity Health Medical Safe Haven. “The Backpage Remission Program offers a vital opportunity for healing and restoration. Yet most clinicians have limited experience working with survivors of exploitation and even less familiarity with estimating treatment timelines, care needs, and related costs. This new guide bridges that gap. Grounded in more than a decade of direct clinical experience, it provides a standardized, practical framework to help clinicians deliver equitable, accurate assessments of survivors’ long-term needs—reducing bias and ensuring each survivor receives a fair evaluation of the compensation they deserve.”

Dignity Health Medical Safe Haven Through this shared framework, Dignity Health Medical Safe Haven and NCMEC hope to foster collaboration with medical and mental health professionals, advocacy organizations, and government agencies across the country—ultimately advancing a more just and compassionate system for healing and rebuilding lives.

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Resources

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Assessment Training Video

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Assessment Documents:
● Clinician Assessment
● Pre-Assessment Information
● Release of Information

Assessment Information Websites:
● Department of Justice
● National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
● Medical Safe Haven Clinics

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