Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Samuel Davidson" <>]

We at Prevention Institute are thrilled that Congress is investing in
community prevention by targeting resources to communities to improve health
in a coordinated, systematic way. This is an important opportunity to
prevent illnesses and injuries in the first place, and to reduce costs in
the health care system from treating preventable problems after the fact. It
is vital that injury and violence be considered as part of these community
prevention efforts. While the House version of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 explicitly includes injury and violence prevention,
the Senate language is more general.   

 

Please share this information broadly and contact your representatives to
ensure that injury and violence prevention are supported as part of
community prevention. 

 

Injuries, including from violence, are the leading cause of death for
persons aged 1-44 years and a leading cause of death, hospitalization and
long-term care placement among elderly populations. Injuries and violence
cost $117 billion annually in direct health care costs. Estimates are much
higher for lost productivity costs (a study by a CDC researcher estimated
more than $320 billion in 2000 alone). Violence is also a factor in the
development of chronic diseases which account for a majority of pre-mature
US deaths, lost productivity and the majority and fastest growing percentage
of our healthcare spending. Injuries and violence affect everyone and
disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color 

 

Injuries and violence are preventable. Supporting injury and violence
prevention in the economic stimulus bill as part of community prevention can
yield a substantial return on investment as shown in a number of research
and economic studies and provide meaningful employment. 

 

For more information, see:

*       Preventing
<http://preventioninstitute.org/documents/PreventingViolenceTransitionmemo12
1708_000.pdf>  violence before it occurs: Directions for improving outcomes
for young people, our cities, and our economic recovery and growth, a
Prevention Institute memo highlighting opportunities for improving safety
and well-being in our nation's urban areas while saving money and
stimulating the economy. 
*       Reducing
<http://preventioninstitute.org/documents/HealthEquityMemo_012309_001.pdf>
Inequities in Health and Safety through Prevention, a platform released by
Prevention Institute and the Health Policy Institute at the Joint Center for
Political and Economic Studies, which indentifies concrete steps for the new
administration and congress to take to substantially reduce health
inequities and their associated costs. 
*       Healthy
<http://preventioninstitute.org/documents/HealthyPeopleHealthyPlaces_000.pdf
>  People, Healthy Places, a transition document co-released with
PolicyLink, that focuses on chronic disease and identifies important
connections between the prevention of chronic disease and safety.