To raise awareness and stop domestic violence, Verizon Wireless will sponsor the second annual Healthy Business – Healthy Community Civil Workplace Summit on Tuesday, Oct. 19.

Business owners and human resource managers are encouraged to attend the free summit at the New Hanover County Government Center building from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Attendees to the event organized by EVOLVE Wilmington! and Wilmington Domestic Violence Shelter and Services will receive a package with model policies that can be implemented by any company.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, businesses lose about $727.8 million in productivity because of intimate partner violence annually.

“One thing a lot of businesses say is once they do an awareness campaign, for victims it offers them a place to receive services and for batterers it gives them an opportunity to look at their behavior and change,” said Rick Houston, prevention specialist at Wilmington Domestic Violence Shelter and Services.

Last year, 53 people representing about 40 different businesses including GE Hitachi, Corning, N.C. State Ports Authority, banks and attorney offices attended the summit, Houston said. This year, organizers expect about 50 people including a representative from UNC-Charlotte who plans to attend to learn about the New Hanover County Civil Workplace Protocol, the first in the state that encourages employers to have policies in place that allow victims of domestic violence the confidence to come forward and to make resources and support available.

Five of the area’s largest employers – Verizon Wireless, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, UNCW, New Hanover County and the city of Wilmington developed and adopted the Civil Workplace Protocol.

Next week’s summit will also feature “Domestic Violence in the Workplace” author, Johnny Lee, who conducted a research study of over 500 cases of domestic violence assaults that have occurred in the workplace. From his research, he developed the Employment and Domestic Violence Matrix, which is used to show how employment is a protective factor for domestic violence prevention.

“I see it as a great opportunity for our employers in New Hanover County to bring about awareness about the issue and to develop policies and develop healthy workplaces. A healthy workplace is a productive workplace,” Houston said.

The free summit will be held at the New Hanover County Government Center located at 230 Government Center Drive in the Human Resources Training Rooms A&B.