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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Deane Calhoun, MA¹, Elaine Zahnd, PhD², Marla G. Becker, MPH¹, Daniel Shibru, MD³, Gregory P. Victorino, MD³, and Sue Holtby, MPH². (1) Youth ALIVE!, 3300 Elm Street, Oakland, CA 94609, 510-594-2588, dcalhoun@youthalive.org, (2) Public Health Institute, 555 12th Street, 10th floor, Oakland, CA 94607, (3) Trauma, Alameda County Medical Center, Highland Hospital, 1411 E. 31st Street, Oakland, CA 94602

Caught in the Crossfire is a youth violence prevention and intervention program of Youth ALIVE!, a non-profit public health organization dedicated to reducing violent injuries and deaths among youth in California through education, prevention, and research. Since the program was established in 1994, Caught in the Crossfire has provided services to over 750 youth. Caught in the Crossfire employs local residents who have experienced and overcome violence in their own lives to serve as Intervention Specialists. Intervention Specialists act as peer mentors and case managers for youth who have been hospitalized for violent injuries. Working closely with youth and their families, the program's immediate goals are to prevent retaliatory violence, re-injury, and entry/re-entry into the criminal justice system. Staff initially meet with the youth in the hospital and provide ongoing case management for up to one year, promoting positive alternatives to violence, and linking youth with local resources in order to assist participants in leading positive, non-violent lifestyles. Building on promising results from an earlier evaluation, a matched comparison group design was employed to evaluate program outcomes. Controls were selected anonymously by matching on age, gender, ethnicity, injury type and year of admission. Pilot results included 75 cases and 79 controls; 82% were male, most were African American (61%), and the main injuries were gunshot wounds (58%). Pilot results indicate program protection against risk of future criminal justice involvement (chi square RR = 0.76; CI=0.62-0.93; p<0.01). Based on the successful pilot, a full evaluation has been proposed.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Describe the services provided by Caught in the Crossfire staff.
• Articulate Caught in the Crossfire program goals and results.
• Identify factors required for successful replication of the Caught in the Crossfire program.
• Assess if Caught in the Crossfire would be an appropriate intervention within the participant's community.

Keywords: Youth Violence, Peer Counselors

Related Web page: www.youthalive.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation