- Community violence intervention programs work to build lasting change that provide pathways away from cyclical violence. These programs employ frontline workers to engage people at the highest risk for violence, resolve conflicts, and prevent retaliation. With consistent funding, these programs are shown to reduce community gun violence.
- CVIs typically deploy violence intervention specialists in neighborhoods with high rates of community gun violence, inside emergency departments where patients with acute injuries are being treated by medical teams, and with people who are reentering civilian life after prison.
- The Next Step program in Minneapolis has supported over 700 victims of serious violence in 2016 and has a track record of helping keep people at high risk safe and alive.
- Several states have expanded Medicaid to make CVI programs like Next Step eligible for reimbursement. By expanding Medicaid to cover CVI programs, Minnesota can tap into already available federal funding for these important evidence-based interventions.
Sources
*City of Minneapolis. (2016). Next Step. Minneapolismn.gov. https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/community-safety/public-health-approach/next-step/
**The HAVI. (n.d.). How Medicaid Can Support Survivors of Community Violence. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d6f61730a2b610001135b79/t/605d010bd899bb14ed5890c3/1616707865038/HAVI_MedicaidV1.pdf
