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PROJECTS
Training and Presentations
Prevention Institute staff trains and presents on a range of topics, including coalition building, developing effective prevention strategy, injury and violence prevention, health disparities, and nutrition and physical activity promotion. Presentations and trainings have been conducted for universities, community-based organizations, and government agencies, among others. In its five years of existence, Prevention Institute has trained over 15,000 professionals and practitioners on cutting-edge prevention research and practice.
Sample Training Projects:
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Prevention Institute synthesizes findings from research and practice and develops strategies and tools to strengthen and expand primary prevention. These efforts are aimed at changing systems in order to achieve the broadest and most sustained impact. In addition to consultation to federal government and national organizations, Prevention Institute has provided consultation to a number of cities, counties, and states. These include the State of Hawaii, the State of California, Pinellas County (FL), Seattle/King County (WA), Franklin County (OH), Ventura County (CA) and the tri-county Gold Coast region of California.
Sample Consultation Projects:
Current Projects
Building Bridges: Linking Public Health and the Sustainable Agriculture Movement
Funded by: Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation and the Columbia Foundation
The Building Bridges project was developed to create opportunities for strengthening the momentum for a just, sustainable, health-promoting food system by joining the forces of public health and the sustainable agriculture movement. Some potentially overlapping goals include reducing exposure to toxic chemicals in food and its production, increasing production and access to affordable, fresh, high quality farm products, ensuring a clean water supply, and altering the elements of the food system which favor the production and distribution of highly-processed, high-fat and high-sugar food products. More info on Building Bridges
California Campaign to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health
Funded by: American Public Health Association, The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, Kaiser-Permanente
The Campaign is co-chaired by the American Public Health Association and the California Health and Human Services Agency and staffed by Prevention Institute. It is a statewide public/private sector initiative dedicated to raising awareness about health disparities and advancing systemic change that will improve health outcomes for all Californians. The Campaign's strategy (under development) identifies nine priority health disparity issues for the State, and delineates institutional, governmental, and community opportunities to improve healthcare and the environments in which people live, work, and go to school.
Embedding Prevention in State Policy and Practice
Funded by: The National Crime Prevention Council
Prevention Institute serves as California's team leader in this six-state initiative convened by the National Crime Prevention Council. The objective is to embed prevention into policies that address crime, violence, and substance abuse. This partnership that includes five other states -- Oregon, Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, and Connecticut -- has provided California the opportunity be a part of a national movement to promote violence prevention. The Embedding Prevention initiative has been an opportunity to inform federal policies in support of California's prevention goals. It has also allowed California to test its tools and methodologies through peer review, inform others about its work, and learn the "state of the art" knowledge on prevention policies and practices from other states and national experts.
Prevention Institute initiated Geography of Prevention as a means to identify key prevention leaders, methodologies, and best practices across the country. Prevention efforts are mapped in several key fields, including chronic disease prevention, youth development, injury prevention, substance abuse prevention, community development, and mental health promotion. Information gathered from this research increases Prevention Institute's capacity to provide support, consultation, and technical assistance to health and social service organizations by increasing our knowledge base of successful, cutting-edge, and innovative prevention models.
National Center for the Health of Men, Boys and Society
Funded by: Internal Support
The Center addresses men's health from the perspective that men's health-related beliefs and behaviors influence the well being of women, girls, other men and boys, and the communities in which men live. Prevention Institute worked in collaboration with Dr. Will Courtenay, a leader in the national and international men's health movement, to launch the Center. The Center recognizes the influences of social, economic, environmental, ethnic, and cultural factors, as well as differences among men based on their age, economic status, sexual identity, occupation, culture, ethnicity, environment, religion, and geographic location. More info on the Center
Funded by: Research! America
Prevention Institute is serving as the lead organization in California on a project to promote an increase in resources for prevention and mobilize efforts around prevention issues. Research! America, the organization coordinating the project, is underwriting a Harris poll on prevention research. The results will be used to mobilize public support for advancing prevention efforts and initiatives.
Preventing Violence Against Women: Developing a Statewide Plan for California
Funded by: State of California, Department of Health Services
With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention, the California Department of Health Services, Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control (EPIC) branch, Prevention Institute, and Sonoma State University are developing a statewide action plan for preventing violence against women. In recognition of the many strategic plans that already existed, the plan builds upon existing work to promote priorities that address multiple forms of violence against women. The development process brought together a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders from government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to identify changes in policy and institutional practice that would cut across the many types of violence against women.
Promoting Effectiveness and Sustainability Among Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Programs
Funded by: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services
This innovative training and technical assistance initiative will use a combination of web-based, distance learning and in-person training techniques to assist mental health prevention and early intervention grantees overcome challenges in achieving sustainability. The training is divided into three modules that focus on the use of three tools: the Spectrum of Prevention, Collaboration Math, and Eight Steps to Effective Coalition Building. The aim of the training is to build new capacities, new ways of doing business, and new community norms to promote sustainability. Participants will be better equipped to identify and prioritize key efforts that contribute to sustainability, and to focus on the kinds of organizational and policy changes that are most likely to promote program sustainability. New skills in coalition building and collaboration will help grantees to identify partners and networks that can increase the likelihood of sustainability. This effort is funded by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services from their Targeted Capacity Expansion - Prevention and Early Intervention to Build Mentally Healthy Communities grants program. View details on the training curriculum.
Funded by: The California Wellness Foundation, The California Endowment
Prevention Institute is a founding member and coordinator of the Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments. The Alliance is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to promoting environmental and policy changes to support healthy eating and regular activity. Many aspects of the community environment, such as safe streets, school food, grocery store location, product marketing, and availability of parks, can greatly influence eating and activity behaviors. Serving as an independent voice to influence institutions, government, and industry, the Alliance seeks to improve nutrition and physical activity norms through environmental changes, with the ultimate goal of benefiting the health and wellness of all California residents. Founding members of the Strategic Alliance include: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy, California Food Policy Advocates, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Project LEAN, California WIC Association, Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Prevention Institute, and Samuels & Associates. More info on the Strategic Alliance
Success Stories: Prevention/Early Intervention Targeted Capacity Expansion
Funded by: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services
These stories document the successes of nine grantee sites from SAMSHA's Prevention/Early Intervention grants. Each site is charged with implementing evidence-based mental health programs, supported by intensive training, community collaboration, and outreach efforts. The stories are designed to engage local partners, communicate the value of preventive and early intervention mental health services to both the public and policy makers, and inform other practitioners by highlighting the range of start-up and implementation barriers that have been overcome to meet the mental health needs of children.
THRIVE: Community Tool for Health & Resilience In Vulnerable Environments
Funded by: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health
Poor health outcomes across a number of health indicators are disproportionately high among low-income people and people of color in the United States. Fostering resilience in these communities can save lives and money and reduce suffering. Prevention Institute developed a community resilience assessment tool called THRIVE. The tool assesses community resilience factors linked to Healthy People 2010 Leading Health Indicators, to help communities identify ways in which they can eliminate health disparities and improve community health. More info on THRIVE
Toward A Lifetime Commitment to Violence Prevention in Alameda County, CA
Funded by: Alameda County through Supervisor Nate Miley's Office
Under the leadership of Supervisor Nate Miley, this effort is designed to address the county's violence problem, this four-phase process will culminate in a violence prevention blueprint in 2004. The phases are 1) defining the problem, 2) defining overall solutions, 3) defining sectoral solutions, and 4) building a strong implementation movement grounded in strategy. Each phase is informed by interviews with more than 50 people in Alameda County and at the State, a review of key documents, a county-wide advisory board, and state-of-the-art knowledge about best practices. The effort will foster the leadership and structures necessary to ensure effective programs, policy, accountability, and coordination. View the planning process and related documents for the Blueprint for Violence Prevention in Alameda County.
University of California Berkeley Traffic Safety Center
Funded by: University of California, Berkeley
As a key partner in the development of a Traffic Safety Center in the western United States, the Institute is involved in designing an interdisciplinary approach that includes public health, engineering, city planning, law enforcement, optometry, and medicine to provide focused research, training, and practice in traffic safety. Prevention Institute's primary role is the translation of the University's research into practical information for practitioners. View the latest issue of the Traffic Safety Center newsletter.
Past Projects
Building Partnerships Initiative to End Men's Violence (BPI)
Funded by: U.S. Department of Justice, Violence Against Women Office
Building Partnerships Initiative to End Men's Violence (BPI) is a collaborative project of the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), Prevention Institute, Men Can Stop Rape, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA). The goals of the BPI include documenting and supporting current efforts to prevent male sexual and domestic violence, promoting alliances between programs working to end male violence, and identifying the technical assistance needs of key constituencies involved in such efforts. More info on BPI
Children's Safety Network: Violence and Injury Prevention
Funded by: Children's Safety Network, Federal Office of Maternal and Child Health, Department of Health and Human Services
Prevention Institute provided consultation on the prevention of intentional and unintentional injuries to the federal government and fifty states for Children's Safety Network (CSN) via a contract with Education Development Center. CSN works with maternal and child health, public health, and other injury prevention practitioners to improve injury and violence prevention efforts geared to 0-18 year olds. Activities included providing training and technical assistance to states, assisting with coalition building and strategy development, and developing written materials and tools with a primary focus on adolescent and youth violence prevention.
Cultivating Peace in Salinas, City of Salinas, California
Funded by: David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Working in conjunction with the mayor's office and a broad-based task force including the Violent Injury Prevention Coalition, Partners for Peace, youth, parents, and other community stakeholders, the Institute facilitated a strategic planning process which culminated in Cultivating Peace in Salinas: A Framework for Violence Prevention. Cultivating Peace is a strategically developed plan with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes for children, youth and families. While the initial focus was on youth violence prevention, the process catalyzed a broad movement to foster a community of caring. The strategic planning outcomes succeeded in attracting significant implementation funding. Further, the framework continues to be used as a basis for program implementation in Salinas, and has become the criteria by which new city projects are judged by the City Council. Prevention Institute also conducted the local evaluation of the Salinas Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative.
Intergroup Conflict Intervention Training
Funded by: Orange County Human Relations Council
Efforts to promote healthy behaviors in low-income communities and improve the environment are often rendered ineffective because racism, bias, and discrimination can foster conflicts that leave the residents feeling powerless, divided, and alienated. The impact of such conflict is manifested in a number of ways. Public institutions such as health clinics, schools, law enforcement, parks, etc. tend to be perceived as serving one group of residents to the detriment of the other, and they are viewed with mistrust by one or more segments of the population in a community. Additionally, outside perceptions of community groups or coalitions can limit the effectiveness of their work. Without a sense of community based on place rather than race or ethnicity, neighborhood efforts to address health related goals can be fractionalized. This training of trainers curriculum was developed to enable practitioners to reduce conflict between groups and institutions and to establish policies and procedures that address the institutionalized nature of such conflict.
Mobilizing for a Safe USA: Focused Forums
Funded by: National Fire Protection Association/First Alert, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Children's Safety Network (CSN)
This nationwide series of focus forums garnered community and regional input into a national strategy for injury and violence prevention. The findings were delineated both in a report and a video entitled, Local Wisdom is the Key: Findings for SafeUSA Focus Forums. Highlighting local and regional perspectives on what's needed to advance violence and injury prevention, Local Wisdom identifies key strategies and areas for building momentum. The findings were presented at Mobilizing for a Safe USA, a national leadership conference sponsored by governmental, nonprofit, and commercial agencies that took place in Atlanta in December 2001. The aim of the conference was to launch a national prevention strategy to reduce violence and injury in America.
![[Report Icon]](../images/report.gif){kind=small}
View report
Partnerships for Preventing Violence
Federal Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice: Safe and Drug Free chools, Maternal and Child Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Indian Health Services, and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
In collaboration with Harvard University's School of Public Health and Education Development Center, the six-part Partnerships for Preventing Violence distance learning series has trained more than fourteen thousand violence prevention professionals via satellite. Major skill-building components include forming effective coalitions, developing comprehensive primary prevention strategies, and implementing effective violence prevention programs. The project emphasizes leadership development and has served as a catalyst for local initiatives across the country. To order the videos and training materials at nominal cost, contact the Harvard University School of Public Health.
Salinas Safe Schools/Healthy Students Local Evaluation
Funded by: Salinas Union High School District
The local evaluation of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative in Salinas focused on the extent and value of collaboration, integration, and systems change in improving comprehensive services for healthy childhood development, violence prevention, and substance abuse outcomes. The evaluation highlighted examples of successes and "lessons learned" to guide future and existing efforts in the community. The final report, Salinas Safe Schools/Healthy Students Local Evaluation Report: Toward a Community of Caring, provides findings and recommendations about prevention efforts, leadership, collaboration, the changing school environment, and policy and sustainability implications.
Shifting the Focus: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Advancing Violence Prevention
Funded by: California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs: Prevention Services Division, National Crime Prevention Council
Facilitated by Prevention Institute, the state of California's staff formed Shifting the Focus in the late nineties to strengthen and coordinate government violence prevention services. The initiative's name highlights the shift away from isolated efforts focusing on suppression and intervention, toward a collaborative prevention approach. Shifting the Focus members included representatives from more than 20 State agencies and departments, as well as State commissions and state and local organizations. Its lead agencies were the Office of the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Participants knew that this approach might not make their jobs easier, but that it would strengthen efforts at the State level and, in turn, bolster those at the local level. Through meeting regularly as a large group and in sub-committees, the collaborative focused on: 1) prioritizing prevention of violence-related injury and death through State policy and practice, and 2) promoting collaboration on State violence prevention efforts.
The Three Rs for Dealing with Trauma in Schools: Readiness, Response, and Recovery
Funded by: U.S. Department of Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program
The Harvard School of Public Health, Prevention Institute, and Education Development Center jointly presented this satellite broadcast training in April 2002. The training focuses on the impact of multi-level mental health services in schools, the importance of incorporating mental health into school safety plans, and the value of promoting resilience in the school community before the occurrence of a traumatizing event. The training also highlights promising school-based models, including environmental change, for readiness, response and recovery. Order a video tape of the broadcast