Latest news with #MecklenburgCountyHealthDepartment
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health officials seek to expand victim intervention program
Health officials want to expand an intervention program that provides victims with critical resources as city and county officials also addressed violence as a public health crisis. Atrium Health's hospital-based violence intervention program started seeing victims almost three years ago. CMPD: Violent crime incidents down, but more victims in 2024 Staff members said they've seen significant results but need more resources to tackle the issue. Project BOOST provides victims with resources, including mental health support, housing and drug treatment. It started in 2022 and since then, Atrium Health officials said it's seen 270 victims of violence, mostly those that involved guns, who have enrolled in the program. Intervention program manager Britney Brown said a victim of violence who is seen at a hospital has a one in four chance of becoming a victim again. 'We're seeing a lot of folks that have issues with conflict mediation,' Brown said. 'There are small conflicts that grow larger due to social media, lack of mental health services, frustration, and there's a lot of easy access to weapons right now.' The program also tracks enrolled individuals at the 90-day mark. According to staff, 80% of them have not interacted with the justice system after joining the violence intervention program and more than half are not returning to the hospital as a victim for the second time, Brown said. Medical professionals said there is still more work to be done to combat youth violence despite the program's positive results. 'We want to have 24-hour coverage,' Brown said. 'As we know, violence is not reducing in the city just yet, and so we need more hands-on-deck. And I think this is something, once we move out of intervention, to be preventative as well.' The Mecklenburg County Health Department and medical professionals from Atrium Health will use the next 45 days to look at the crime data, which they plan to present to the city council. VIDEO: Dispute at home led to quadruple shooting in east Charlotte, police say
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health, medical professionals gather to discuss violence as public health crisis
Charlotte's city council will discuss the city's violence prevention programs at a meeting on Monday. The Mecklenburg County Health Department and medical professionals from Atrium Health will be a part of the city council discussion about violence as a public health crisis. READ | Atrium Health develops program to decrease hospital visits due to gun violence The council will review the city's violence prevention program and the city's Alternatives to Violence program as well as Atrium Health's Hospital-Based Violence Intervention program. The program allows Atrium to provide victims of violence with resources such as mental health support, housing or drug treatment. WATCH: Atrium Health develops program to decrease hospital visits due to gun violence
