Portsmouth Health Department urges public‑health approach to violence; highlights teen outreach, hospital intervention

Portsmouth — The Portsmouth Health Department told the task force it is taking a public‑health approach to youth and community violence, emphasizing social determinants of health and collaborations across departments and community organizations.

Dwight Richardson, of the Portsmouth Health Department, described findings from the city’s most recent community health assessment (data through 2022) and said Portsmouth’s per‑capita rates for group A offenses among youth were consistently higher than other Hampton Roads localities. Richardson said the crude trend lines that dipped during 2018–2021 reflect pandemic disruptions to schooling and social life and cautioned that recent cycles could show increases now that regular activity has resumed.

The health department framed its response around social determinants of health — economic stability, education access and quality, health‑care access, neighborhood and built environment, and social/community context — and tied those factors to locally observed outcomes. Richardson cited national guidance (HHS, CDC, Healthy People objectives) and said the city’s community health improvement plan (2025–2029) includes five pillars: mental health, chronic disease, substance/tobacco use, violence‑related injury and death, and prevention behaviors.

On violence prevention, the health department identified interventions it is pursuing: hospital‑based violence intervention (where victims receive support and referrals while hospitalized), integrating community violence prevention across public safety, victim services and community‑based organizations, and restarting a previously run Teen Outreach Program. Richardson described the Teen Outreach Program as an evidence‑based curriculum for ages 12–19 that had run in 2018–2019 and that produced measurable engagement where it was implemented but was suspended during COVID; the department said funding uncertainty affects plans to relaunch.

Richardson said the health department has joined Portsmouth United and is engaging faith‑based and community organizations and youth‑serving CBOs to reduce duplicative efforts and improve coordination. He noted some hospitals already participate in data‑sharing and program coordination (Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and other providers) and described a “no wrong door” approach to connect people to behavioral‑health and substance‑use treatment resources across agencies.

In response to questions, Richardson said hospital‑based interventions are voluntary and rely on cooperation from health providers; CHKD and other providers have been sharing data and supporting intervention activity in some cases. He also clarified the relationship between the state Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Portsmouth Health Department: VDH is the statewide authority and the local health district uses VDH branding and receives state funding while also receiving some city support for locally tailored services.