Charlotte, Mecklenburg outline public-health approach to violence; council asks staff for 45 days of data analysis

City and county public-health and community partners presented the city council on Feb. 10 about efforts to treat violence as a public-health crisis, including the county’s Office of Violence Prevention, Atrium Health’s hospital-based Project BOOST and community-based Alternatives to Violence (ATV) sites. After discussion, council asked the city manager’s office, CMPD and the IT department to produce a focused data analysis and actionable insights within 45 days.

Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County public-health director, described the county’s Office of Violence Prevention, which was started after community input and seeks to reduce violence through primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Washington said the Way Forward plan sets a five-year target to reduce gun-related violence by 10 percent and organizes activity across five “building blocks” including community collaboration, hospital-based intervention and evidence-based interruption programs.

Atrium Health representatives updated council on Project BOOST (Building Optimal Outcomes for Survivors of Trauma). Program manager Britney Brown said Project BOOST began as a 2021 pilot funded with $250,000 from the city that was matched by Atrium Health, creating…