We also assist communities in evaluating programs for their effectiveness. In adopting the public health approach and promoting its broader application, the Health Department seeks to provide the community with effective tools, resources and skills to deal with this critical health problem. This approach to violence has been implemented in many communities across the country, and is endorsed by experts in the field. It has shown great promise in addressing violence in an effective and lasting manner. Violence has many different meanings and brings to mind many different images, thoughts, perceptions and feelings.
Violence has deep personal, social, and environmental roots.
Economic conditions, discrimination, individual, family and community stressors, and the pressure of societal norms all contribute to the occurrence of violence. Track trends in violence over time. Analyze how violence operates in our communities in order to identify opportunities for effective prevention and intervention. Inform public policy makers and service providers about violence, and the efforts and successes to reduce it, and Identify needs for new or more relevant forms of information. The violence surveillance system is based on existing data from many sources including vital records, law enforcement agencies, domestic, child and elder abuse providers and others.