Healthcare Response to Human Trafficking

July 30, 2026 at 12:00 pm CT

Healthcare Response to Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a growing public health crisis that is impacting over 1M individuals in the United States and over 50M individuals worldwide. No community is immune. And yet, less than 1% of victims are identified. Healthcare professionals have perhaps the most critical role to play. Why? Because nearly 90% of victims present themselves to local healthcare settings, many times, during their exploitation.

This session will explore the critical nexus between healthcare and human trafficking, and how healthcare providers in local community settings such as emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, and more are uniquely positioned to recognize and respond to it.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the scope of the issue of human trafficking and know the indicators that healthcare professionals are likely to see in their local healthcare settings and communities
• Understand the barriers to identification and care and know how to address them by incorporating the critical components of an effective and trauma-informed response

About the Presenter

Ashleigh S. Chapman, JD, Founder/CEP - Altus Solutions, Inc.

Ashleigh S. Chapman, JD is a human rights lawyer and has invested 25+ years building solutions to end exploitation and support vulnerable populations.  She is the Founder/CEO of Altus.™, which exists to power the solutions that empower communities to end and prevent human trafficking. One of those solutions, Justice U™, equips thousands of frontline professionals, including especially healthcare providers, to recognize and respond to human trafficking in their local settings. For this work, she was recently named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year.