UNITY: The Cleveland Experience

Violence leads to death, injuries and chronic disease, and poses a serious health challenge for young people. Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth (UNITY), a CDC funded initiative, is a national effort that supports U.S. cities to shift local practices to emphasize a multi-sector public health approach to reducing violence. UNITY promotes an innovative multi-sector public health approach to prevent violence before it happens. UNITY's assessment of violence prevention activities in the U.S. found that cities with the most coordination also have the lowest rates of violence. Additionally, the assessment found that local public health departments are not generally involved in efforts to prevent violence, nor do they see themselves as a crucial partner. Given this context, UNITY is currently involved in 23 cities across the U.S. attempting to advocate for a larger role for public health in local violence prevention efforts.

This presentation will highlight strategies from the newly-released UNITY Policy Platform and discuss how the policy platform was developed in collaboration with representatives from cities across the country via a peer-learning network. The platform is a policy document that describes for local officials what needs to be in place on the ground to prevent community violence, and identifies the local supports that are needed for efforts to be successful and sustainable. The UNITY Policy Platform is helping to build momentum for strengthening national and state support of local initiatives, and collaboration can indeed yield valuable tools and resources for public health professionals working to prevent violence.