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BPHC elevates violence prevention: new Office of Violence Prevention and in-house Community Healing Response Network
Summary
The Boston Public Health Commission said it reorganized violence prevention into a new office reporting to executive leadership, brought the community healing response network largely in-house, and served 120 people with immediate and short-term supports as of April 1.
Boston Public Health Commission officials told the City Council they have elevated violence prevention work by creating a stand-alone Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and bringing the Community Healing Response Network largely in-house.
Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said the office now reports directly to the commission's executive leadership and will be led by a director to be announced; an interim director, Mark Scott, is in place. "We wanted to amplify our work and to elevate and make sure that it was a focal point of what we do as a public health department," Ojikutu said.
The commission described five programs under OVP focused on prevention, intervention and response: capacity building and training for service providers; a Violence Intervention Program working with communities to prevent gun violence; the Community Healing Response Network (formerly the Neighborhood Trauma Team Network); a domestic and gender-based violence initiative launched in January; and the life-course unit (which includes Safe and Successful Youth Initiative, Promoting Potential Boston/P2B, and the Men's Health Initiative).
BPHC said the Community Healing Response Network has been restructured so more responsibilities are managed directly by the commission rather than by contractors. As of April 1 the network had served 120 individuals with immediate and short-term support; the agency said teams are staffed with on-call responders and are partnering with community organizations and health centers.
Councilors asked about activation criteria and on-site protocols. Ojikutu said the network typically receives notifications from the police department and that response intensity varies with incident scale; she said the commission has been strengthening protocols and can provide detailed procedures to the council. The commission also identified a $500,000 transfer from Human Services into violence-prevention programming in the FY26 presentation.
Officials said the office will continue to expand partnerships and staff to provide trauma-informed outreach and long-term case management.
