Spotlight on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Violence Prevention Resource Centers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, began studying patterns of violence in 1980. These early activities grew into a national program to reduce the death and disability associated with injuries outside the workplace. In 1992, CDC established the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) as the lead federal agency for violence prevention. Within NCIPC, the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) focuses on primary prevention or stopping violence before it begins.
DVP funds an array of prevention resource centers that serve as comprehensive collection and distribution centers for information, research, and training on violence prevention and intervention. The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC) is one of these resource centers. NYVPRC provides a single point of access for information and materials available from federal government organizations working to prevent violence and suicide among the nation's youth. The NYVPRC website, toll-free information line, and fax-on-demand service offer information about prevention programs, publications, statistics, and other resources to enable individuals and communities to prevent youth violence.
Other CDC-funded violence prevention resource centers include the following:
The National Resource Center for Safe Aging (NRCSA) provides the website for public health practitioners, highlighting effective strategies and resources for safe aging, with emphasis on elder abuse prevention, fall prevention, and driver and pedestrian safety. www.safeaging.org
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) provides information, resources, and research on all aspects of sexual violence. Activities include collecting, reviewing, and disseminating information; coordinating efforts with other organizations and projects; and providing technical assistance. The NSVRC also produces a newsletter and maintains a website, which includes information about upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, research, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) activities, and links to state and territory coalitions. Contact NSVRC toll free at 877-739-3895. www.nsvrc.org
Preventing Violence through Education, Networking, and Technical Assistance (PREVENT) is a national training program for violence prevention practitioners. PREVENT works with individuals and organizations to build skills in identifying community needs and assets, creating partnerships, developing and implementing prevention programs, measuring success, and funding and sustaining programs. www.prevent.unc.edu
The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (VAWnet) provides public access to a full-text collection of searchable documents and other resources designed to educate and build capacity of professionals and the public working to address violence against women. www.vawnet.org
The Violence Against Women Prevention Partnership's Prevention Connection features a listserv and bimonthly, Web-based forums designed to build the capacity of local, state, national, and tribal agencies and organizations to develop, implement, and evaluate effective violence against women prevention initiatives. Prevention Connection is a project of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. www.calcasa.org