Oral

Public Health research has confirmed that comprehensive, collaborative approaches are successful in preventing violence. Within that framework it is also apparent that Health Care institutions, which provide ongoing services for community members, hold powerful roles in countering and shifting community health norms. In addition with unprecedented investments in population health, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has provided an opportunity to transform medical care delivery to increase community health and health equity and integrate a population based health approach. Based on this evidence engaging health care institutions in collaborative approaches will be integral to the successful prevention of violence and is an opportune moment to reduce retaliation and recidivism. This session will discuss how to encourage health care institutions to take an active role in strengthening their surrounding community to prevent violence in addition to improving the health of individual patients. It will provide perspective on how practitioners in clinical settings can move beyond just acknowledging that factors outside the health care system affect patient health outcomes but also actively participating in improving them. It will discuss the relationship between health care reform and successful service strategies such as hospital based intervention, screening and referrals for childhood exposure to violence and domestic violence and community prevention. This session will also discuss how to leverage the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) investments in community prevention and health care institutions to transform health care delivery in a way that not only increases quality and efficiency but also reduces violence and increases community health

Session Objectives: Describe the dynamic relationship between community conditions, clinical practice, and individual health outcomes. Describe concrete ways that health care providers can engage in violence prevention and advocacy efforts. Identify specific structural and system-wide changes that are necessary in order to promote effective integration of community and clinical practice.