Health as priority. During implementation, interventionists were challenged to keep health as a priority while respecting women’s main concerns. Many survivors accepted symptoms such as fatigue and anxiety as normal: “Yes, I’m tired but I’ve been tired for 10 years.” registered nurses used
intake information about symptom frequency and routinely took blood pressures and medication histories to help women recognize health problems as a priority. They intentionally
used opportunities when working on other Intervention for Health Enhancement After Leaving components to address health: “Maybe we’d start with managing basics and perhaps they weren’t able to work. They had no energy, too much back pain and were living on social assistance…so we would get into health that way.”