Violence Prevention: Local Public Health Perspective Carol Moehrle - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Violence Prevention: Local Public Health Perspective Carol Moehrle President National Association of County and City Health Officials November 17, 2010 The National Connection for Local Public Health

Presentation Overview • Violence prevention as an emerging local public health priority • Impact of violence on overall community health • Challenges to local public health involvement in violence prevention • Making the case for local public health involvement in violence prevention • Current NACCHO Violence Prevention activities Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Violence Prevention as an Emerging LHD Priority • Violence prevention is an emerging priority for local health departments o In 2008, 40% of LHDs reported conducting violence prevention efforts locally 1 o Facilitating factors: high profile local-level incidences of violence, increased access to relevant data, knowledge of effective prevention practices, community-level prioritization o Violence prevention mentioned as the top injury-related topic area that LHDs would like to address (specifically youth violence prevention and suicide prevention ) in a 2008 NACCHO survey of LHD IVP programs 2 1. 2008 National Profile of Local Health Departments. NACCHO, July 2009. 2. NACCHO Research Brief: Local Health Department Injury and Violence Prevention Infrastructure and Activities. May 2008 Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Impact of Violence on Overall Community Health • Violence is a public health issue that has a significant impact on health, even outside of injury and violence concerns o Chronic disease link: Safety concerns may impact physical activity by reducing time spent being active outdoors o Maternal and child health link: Exposure to violence in childhood, is associated with a wide range of health related risk behaviors o Mental health link: Exposure to violence leading to long lasting psychological issues such as depression, anxiety and PTSD Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Challenges to Local Public Health Involvement in Violence Prevention Percentage of LHDs with Program Cuts in 2009, by Program Area 3 Population-Based Primary 25% Prevention Maternal & Child Health 25% Local health department Clinical Health Services 21% budget cuts and job losses are Chronic Disease 18% challenges impacting LHD Screening/Treatment involvement in violence Environmental Health 17% prevention efforts Immunization 13% Communicable Disease 12% Screening/Treatment Food Safety 9% Epidemiology & Surveillance 9% 3. NACCHO Research Brief: Local Health Department Job Losses and Program Cuts: Emergency Preparedness 7% Findings from January/February 2010 Survey. May 2010 Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Challenges to Local Public Health Involvement in Violence Prevention • Public health has not traditionally been viewed as a partner in local efforts to address violence o Law enforcement and criminal justice strategies are used most often o Not generally involved in local plans and strategies • Securing funding and other necessary resources • Gaining buy-in from leadership Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Making the Case for LHD Involvement in Violence Prevention • LHDs are uniquely positioned to participate in comprehensive, multidisciplinary violence prevention efforts as they are charged with: o Monitoring health status and understanding health issues facing the community: LHDs can help to ensure that violence prevention efforts are data- driven o Protecting communities from health problems and hazards o Engaging the community to identify and solve health problems: LHDs have used these skills to help mobilize communities around violence prevention National Association of Count y and City Health Officials. 2005. Operational Definition of a Functional Local Health Department Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Making the Case for LHD Involvement in Violence Prevention LHDs are uniquely positioned to participate in comprehensive, multidisciplinary violence prevention efforts as they are charged with: o Developing public health policies and plans : LHDs can work to advocate for external, violence prevention legislative policies impacting communities o Contributing to and applying the evidence base of public health: LHDs can help to grow the evidence-base of violence prevention o Evaluating and improving programs and interventions: LHDs can help to evaluate the effectiveness of violence prevention efforts NACCHO. 2005. Operational Definition of a Functional Local Health Department Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Making the Case for LHD Involvement in Violence Prevention: LHD Examples • City of Minneapolis: Violence • Multnomah County (OR) Health Prevention Blueprint for Action Department : Early Childhood Services nurse home visiting program A 4 point strategy to prevent youth violence in Minneapolis Goal: ensure women at risk for poor pregnancy outcomes have healthy o 40% decrease in juvenile crime in pregnancies, and that infants and focus neighborhoods since toddlers similarly at risk grow up implementation healthy o http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/yvp Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Current NACCHO Violence Prevention Activities NACCHO recognizes the importance of focusing on VP as way of improving community health and safety • UNITY: UNITY provides a • STRYVE: CDC’s national youth comprehensive and sustainable violence prevention initiative. public health approach to violence Provides communities with the prevention. knowledge and resources to be (www.preventioninstitute.org/initiatives/u successful in preventing youth nity.html) violence (www.safeyouth.org) o Collaboration between the Prevention Institute, Harvard School of Public • Safe States Alliance Violence Health and the Southern California Prevention Recommendations Injury Prevention Research Center at UCLA SPH • CDC Violence Prevention Webinar Series Wednesday, November 17, 2010

NACCHO Resources & Contact Information NACCHO Injury and Violence Prevention For questions contact: Resources Tasha Akitobi • NACCHO Research Brief: Local Health Department Injury and Violence Prevention Infrastructure and Activities Program Manager • NACCHO Issue Brief: Intimate Partner Violence among takitobi@naccho.org Pregnant and Parenting Women : Local Health Department Strategies for Assessment, Intervention, and Prevention • 2008 National Profile of Local Health Departments • NACCHO Research Brief: Local Health Department Job Losses and Program Cuts: Findings from January/February 2010 Survey • A Compendium of Local Health Department Home Visitation Program Case Studies • ASTHO-NACCHO-Safe States Alliance Injury and Violence Prevention Webinar Series Wednesday, November 17, 2010