Darnell Brewer

From Crisis Response to Prevention: Designing a Statewide Public Health Coordination Model for Community Violence Intervention in Ohio
Gun violence remains a significant public health challenge across Ohio, disproportionately impacting Black communities and neighborhoods experiencing concentrated disadvantage. While community violence intervention strategies have shown promise, Ohio lacks a coordinated statewide system to connect survivors to consistent support. This project proposes a public health coordination model through an Office of Violence Prevention within the Ohio Department of Health to expand hospital-based intervention, strengthen referral pathways between hospitals and community providers, and create sustainable infrastructure for violence prevention. The goal is to shift Ohio from reactive crisis response to a coordinated, long-term prevention strategy that reduces violence and improves community safety.