• The Trace: June 15, 2021

    The American Rescue Plan Is Officially Funding Gun Violence Prevention

    In this article in The Trace, PI's Lisa Fujie Parks is quoted about how Multnomah County, Oregon plans to increase spending on gun violence prevention by millions of dollars in FY 2022. PI helped the county with its recent violence prevention efforts. 

    " "Things were looking pretty dire for the county’s budget until the American Rescue Plan money came into the conversation. It was a surprise, because we’re used to being told there’s no money for anything. I think there’s an awareness that things have gotten worse and could continue to get worse if we don’t do something. And that...

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  • Malheur Enterprise: April 1, 2021

    SOLUTIONS: Experiences elsewhere seek to quell abuse, providing lessons for Malheur County

    In this piece in Malheur Enterprise, PI's Lisa Fujie Parks is quoted on the effectiveness of school-based violence prevention programs. “By doing these multiple things that shift the environment and shift how people were behaving, they were able to reduce sexual violence victimization in dating relationships by 50%, sexual violence perpetration by peers – outside of dating relationships – by 47% and sexual harassment perpetration by 34%, compared to control schools that did not receive the program,” said Parks.

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  • Health Affairs : February 25, 2021

    To Support Health Equity, Let’s Rethink How Foundations Evaluate Grantees

    Jason Lacsamana of the St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund—and Prevention Institute’s partner on the Intersections Initiative—provides ideas for rethinking the way funders evaluate investments in healthy, safe, and equitable communities in his new Health Affairs blog. “We must make sure community residents not only lead funded programmatic work but also drive how we think about evaluation and how we identify what works to improve health and create a just society.”

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  • The Sacramento Bee: February 20, 2021

    How California can make the vaccine distribution system more equitable

    In her op-ed in the Sacramento Bee, Manal J. Aboelata writes about how California's vaccine rollout is reinforcing rather than reducing inequities in our health system. She highlights South L.A. as one example of why we can and should invest in vaccine-distribution efforts at community-based organizations and health centers, which can reach people in neighborhoods that have been most devastated by the virus. 

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  • Mental Health America: February 18, 2021

    Communities Are Taking The Journey To Mental Wellbeing

    In their piece in Mental Health America, PI's Ruben Cantu and Christine Williams highlight the accomplishments of the communities belonging to the Making Connections Initiative.

    "Young men of color became recognized as respected community leaders, successfully advocating for improvements like bike paths and community gardens. Veterans transformed how health systems and the larger community understand and support them and their families. And the men and boys who engaged in the work forged life-changing connections with one another and with their communities."

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  • Stormwater Magazine: February 15, 2021

    Health and Stormwater Equity

    In her piece in Stormwater, Rachel Sims interviews PI's Elva Yañez about Prevention Institute's recent paper, "A Time of Opportunity: Water, heath, and equity in the Los Angeles Region."

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  • NACCHO: February 4, 2021

    Innovations in Social Connection: How Local Leaders are Addressing Inequities and Advancing Technology Solutions During COVID-19

    As communities continue to implement physical distancing recommendations to slow the spread of COVID-19, many have turned to innovative solutions to address social isolation and loneliness. Local government and community leaders have enlisted technology to aid in strengthening social connection. At the same time, many have taken steps to close gaps in access to technology. National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) features a blog by PI's Alisha Somji and Alexis Captanian.

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  • The Trace: December 21, 2020

    A Historic Surge in Gun Violence Compounds the Traumas of 2020

    In their piece in The Trace, Champe Barton, Brian Freskos, and Daniel Nass cover the recent surge in gun violence due to the pandemic. They cite PI's Lisa Fujie Parks: "The pandemic (reduced access to) “just about every positive source of social connection or mental health outlet available to these communities most at risk for gun violence.” 

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  • Parks and Recreation Magazine: December 10, 2020

    More Parks, Longer Lives

    In her piece in Parks and Recreation Magazine, PI's Elva Yañez discusses PI's research on life expectancy in relation to parks and green space, conducted with UCLA’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences and an advisory board of community-based organizations. The research, based on data from the Los Angeles, California, shows that increasing park acreage in areas that face park deficits and low levels of tree canopy could lead to significant population-level increases in life expectancy.

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