Community Youth Violence Prevention Center Established
A major anti-violence community initiative has been funded through the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. The Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center was established with a $5 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The five-year grant will support local, regional, and national youth violence prevention and research projects through a broad partnership of scientific organizations and non-profit institutions that work with a variety of educational and community groups to prevent youth violence.
"Lethal
violence rates among adolescents in the United States are higher than
in other developed nations," said David
Hemenway, professor of health policy and director of the Harvard Injury
Control Research Center. "Despite success in reducing firearm violence
in the mid-1990s in the United States, rates of lethal violence involving
youth and general violence by girls have been rising, and appear to be
rising again in Boston."
To address these trends, the center will fund major projects to identify risk factors for youth suicide and for violence perpetrated by girls, to evaluate violence prevention programs in place in Boston public middle schools, and to evaluate police and hospital youth referral programs. The center will also fund a wide variety of small research projects and provide seed money for new innovative pilot projects.
Harvard will work with the Educational Development Center in Newton, MA, and the New England Medical Center in partnership with the Boston mayor's office, Boston public schools, Northeast regional state health offices, community health centers, and numerous non-profit agencies.
"Boston
has a long history of working to prevent adolescent violence. Despite
our success, the work must continue," said Deborah
Prothrow-Stith, professor of public health practice and former Massachusetts
Commissioner of Public Health. "This grant presents a wonderful opportunity
to increase the power of local neighborhoods through collaboration, research,
training, and a renewed commitment to those most vulnerable to the impact
of violence."
Prothrow-Stith and Hemenway are the center's co-directors. They join
six core academic faculty, seven core community partners, and many other
scientists and organizations to help curb youth violence through center
projects.
