Violence in our community in many ways is like a virus.
It spreads and infects—and some people are more vulnerable to it than others.
And it can be prevented. There are ways to inoculate folks to help them not use violence.
The city of San Antonio is weighing a plan to tackle violence by treating it as a public health problem.
After nearly a year in the making, the Violence Prevention Strategic Plan recognizes that police are best equipped to respond to violence after the fact, but they are not designed to prevent it.
The community wide Violence Prevention Strategic Plan looks at the up-stream determinants and root causes of violence and also the down- stream impacts by calling for post violence interventions.
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is leading the planning process, but implementation calls on the entire community with regional collaboration and investments in youth supporting services.
The five-year plan focuses on four priority areas — youth-on-youth violence, gun violence, sexual violence and domestic violence.
Studies of other cities around the world which have adopted the Cure Violence model have seen evidence-based reductions in crime as well as other community benefits including economic growth, improved health outcomes, higher test scores and developments in job readiness.
Guests:
Maria Villagomez is the Deputy City Manager for the City of San Antonio.
Marta Pelaez is the President and CEO of Family Violence Prevention Services.
Erica Haller-Stevenson is the Violence Prevention Administrator for the City of San Antonio.
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This interview was recorded on Thursday, December 14, 2023.
