Publications & Projects

Our center is responsible for maintaining two databases related to violence prevention for Life Outside of Violence (LOV), the Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program.

STL-HVIP
A repository of clinical information on all hospital visits made for violent injuries from all four level-one trauma centers in the region

LOV
A program facilitated by case workers designed to prevent recidivism for violent injuries at the four participating hospitals. Oversight of these data is provided by a committee of the STL-HVIP body, and are available to researchers and LOV program evaluators by way of an application process.

The St. Louis region experienced a notable decrease in homicides in the year
2003, yet the rate subsequently rebounded. In collaboration, the St. Louis Mental
Health Board, the Center for Community Health Partnership and Research, and
faculty from the Brown School, the Social System Design Lab, and UMSL sought an
explanation. With pilot funding from the Institute for Public Health, the research
team collected data, visualized trends, and conducted interviews to explore the
relationship between crime and funding for violence prevention from 2000-2010 in
the City of St. Louis. Examination of the trends was used to build a systems model,
which was further explored and refined by a group of local funders and health department staff.

Final results suggest that violent crime will continue to oscillate without a sustained collaborative infrastructure to coordinate violence prevention funding; deliver a consistent message to engage the community; and set an ambitious vision for a violence-free community. We continue to work with the Violence Prevention Commission in their data-driven efforts to prevent violence in the region.