Description

Public Health for Public Safety upholds that public safety should not only be a matter of law enforcement and criminal justice, but of public health. A mission of public health is to keep society healthy by informing practice and policy, and facilitating access to effective care for all people. It is also our role to keep society safe by preventing the spread of disease through research, education, systems coordination and transformational community engagement. These strategies should be utilized in all efforts to cease the spread of the communicable disease of violence, from the structural root causes to its symptoms within our communities. Toward this end Denver Public Health has recruited a diverse team of individuals with powerful testimonies related to violence, victimization, and healing. The Public Health for Public Safety Community Leadership Team has committed itself to the goal of preventing violence and victimization and to the promotion of trauma-informed, culturally responsive interventions, and individual and community healing. Through a process of Community Based Participatory Research, the team has conducted outreach, facilitated focus groups, provided public education, hosted a summit, produced media, and engaged in policy reform efforts. The team also designed a community survey to better understand the experiences of historically impacted populations and individuals disproportionately impacted by violence, victimization and incarceration, namely people of color, men, and young adults. Members of the Community Leadership Team will share key findings, next steps and recommendations from the survey. The team will also discuss their backgrounds, experiences in the partnership, and the importance of community leadership in public health movements to advance equity and justice.

Denver Public Health has recruited a diverse team of individuals from these communities with powerful stories related to violence, victimization, and healing. The Public Health for Public Safety Leadership Team has committed itself to the goal of preventing violence and victimization and to the promotion of trauma-informed, culturally responsive interventions, systemic transformations, and individual and community healing.  To date the leadership team completed its first round of research into victimization, written a report summarizing this research, and presented the key findings in various community contexts.