Supporting Local Health Departments to Lead Multisectoral Youth Violence Prevention Efforts

Abstract

This article examines organizational-level outcomes achieved during a technical assistance (TA) initiative designed to increase the capacity of local health departments (LHDs) to prevent youth violence (YV) via a multisectoral approach. This effort was designed to address the knowledge gap regarding how to provide effective TA to LHDs, specifically in YV. Twelve communities with high rates of YV were selected to participate using a multistage process. TA provided to LHD representatives (and other community partners) included monthly calls with TA specialists, group online learning events, community-of-practice calls, and access to an online portal offering additional resources. Data sources were used to determine the extent to which communities achieved the initiative’s intended outcomes, including increased infrastructure to support youth violence prevention (YVP) at LHDs and the creation of community-wide violence prevention plans. Data sources included an online TA tracking system, annual semistructured group interviews, and point-of-contact surveys. While results indicated variation in TA uptake across sites, several target outcomes were achieved including increased representation and engagement of diverse perspectives in local YVP efforts and strengthened infrastructure and integration of YVP at LHDs. Findings highlight the importance of supporting LHDs to align YVP work with other priorities and funded activities, building a larger role for leadership in providing organizational support for YV, supporting the development of multisector coalitions or partnerships to decrease silos among different sectors focused on similar populations or communities. Implications from this initiative suggest that LHDs can be supported to convene local, multisector YVP efforts, which can be sustained if local YVP infrastructure is enhanced.

Costs of Implementing Teen Dating Violence and Youth Violence Prevention Strategies: Evidence From 5 CDC-Funded Local Health Departments

“…To appropriately allocate costs, we collected details on the distribution of these costs among each strategy implemented by the LHD, including all strategies in the social–ecological model framework, and activities that supported collaborative efforts with a multisector coalition. 10 Each LHD’s 1605 program director completed the tool with support from an administrative or financial officer, reporting resources and costs from September 1, 2016, through August 31, 2019. LHDs were provided with a user guide (eFigure 2 in Supplemental Material) that had detailed definitions of each cost category.…”

“…7,8 Local health departments (LHDs) are well positioned to support prevention efforts because of their relationships with the communities they serve, partnerships across multiple sectors, and ability to engage in schools and other venues that directly serve young people. 2,9,10 In September 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a funding opportunity entitled "Preventing Teen Dating and Youth Violence by Addressing Shared Risk and Protective Factors" (hereinafter, the 1605 program). 11 The 1605 program was designed to support LHDs' capacity and readiness to prevent teen dating violence and youth violence and to expand existing prevention efforts at the local level.…”