Projects of the Violence Prevention Program

At the Violence Prevention Program, we view violence as a preventable public health problem. Most violence that occurs in our homes and communities is not random, and is not perpetrated by strangers. Therefore, the vast majority of violent acts are preventable. We use a wide range of public health approaches to address violence prevention, including surveillance, education, program development, program evaluation, and advocacy. Our projects focus on preventing youth violence, bullying, dating violence, and domestic violence.

Our work focuses on numerous populations that can play a role in preventing violence, such as health care providers, teachers, community educators, violence prevention professionals, and others. We take an active role in bringing together violence prevention resources in the Hartford area.

The Violence Prevention Program promotes a comprehensive approach to violence prevention that includes forming school-community partnerships, conducting needs assessments, and implementing science-based prevention programs. We also support increased screening and anticipatory guidance around violence-related issues by physicians, nurses and other health care providers. We believe that families have a strong influence on youth's lives and promote parent education through each of our programs.

Currently, we are actively working on the following projects:

·         Providing technical assistance to schools on violence prevention programs like Second Step;

·          Developing a routine domestic violence screening for use in the primary care setting;

·          Building the capacity of the Violence Prevention Program to work directly with youth in reinforcing the behaviors and other factors that protect youth from violence;

·          Engaging in research that explores strategies for the prevention of youth violence;

·          Educating medical students and the public on the issue of youth violence in society.

·          Collecting and analyzing information on all violent deaths in Connecticut and serving as home to the Connecticut Violent Death Reporting System, first developed in 1999 as a part of the National Violent Death Reporting System using a common set of data elements developed in cooperation with the Harvard School of Public Health.

The Violence Prevention Program is proud to be part of the Injury Prevention Center (IPC). The IPC is dedicated to the prevention of childhood injuries, and does so through four major areas: research; education and training; community programs; and public policy.

 

For more information, or to inquire on how to obtain technical assistance, please contact:

 

Kevin Borrup, JD, MPA

Director
Violence Prevention Program

Injury Prevention Center

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center

282 Washington Street

Hartford, CT 06106

(860) 545-9984

kborrup@ccmckids.org