A NOTE from the CEO

Shaping Progress Against Gun Violence

This month, our focus returns to gun violence, and our continuing work with partners in violence interruption programs making headway in transforming systems and saving lives. We know that change is gradual, and that movements are built through cumulative acts over decades. The CARESTAR Foundation is committed to the long haul.

If there was any doubt of the urgency of this work, and of the inequities involved in gun violence, consider this: Gun violence will claim the lives of one in 38 Black men if current death rates hold, according to a new study in The American Journal of Medicine (report). This is more than twice the risk for Americans in general. And while people spent more days sheltered at home this spring, firearm fatalities actually increased significantly in April (16 percent) and May (15 percent) compared to those months in 2019, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Against this context, we are especially glad to highlight our sponsorship for the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI) 2020 Virtual Conference this month.

During the HAVI conference, CARESTAR is hosting a Listening Session that brings together community members and frontline workers who will share their lived experiences and perceptions about the emergency response system. Their candid stories will inform and ground our continued efforts to make emergency response more equitable, unified and compassionate for all Californians. 








Violence intervention workers in the community.
SEPTEMBER Grant Highlights
The CARESTAR Foundation partners with several innovative organizations working to prevent and reduce re-injury related to violence. Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are great examples of this type of work and we are proud to support five HVIP programs in California, all focusing on preventing re-injury from violence and supporting youth and their families over the long term to heal and change the trajectory of their lives. These HVIP programs are particularly meaningful to us because they exemplify strong partnerships with hospitals and trauma centers.

One example is John Muir Health, which works with the community-based RYSE Youth Center. Such collaborations provide comprehensive support starting at the hospital bedside, and continue with mentors who support clients through transitions back to home, school and community life.

We also partner with Prevention Institute, which works more broadly on communicating the importance of a public health approach to violence prevention. Their work supports cities and organizations in developing strategies, policies and networks to foster equity.

CARESTAR is excited to learn and build from these partnerships and to support other efforts in the field working to create positive change in emergency response.
EXCELLENT Reads:

HAVI’s Executive Director, Fatimah Loren Dreier, was interviewed for this recent article in TIME magazine: https://time.com/5886815/crime-survivors-funding/
 

COMING Next Month:

We look forward to sharing with you what we’re doing in support of first responders during this catastrophic fire season.  


“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
STAY Tuned!
Visit our website, www.carestarfoundation.org
Share this newsletter with your colleagues and encourage them to sign up at carestarfoundation.org
Share our grant portal information with those you think may be interested in CARESTAR Foundation support. See our criteria and application portal at carestarfoundation.org/how-to-apply/


Our Mission
To improve health outcomes for all Californians, we use a racial equity lens to fund and advocate for improvements to our emergency response system.
Our Vision
All Californians experience an emergency response system that is equitable, unified and compassionate.

The lives of people touched by trauma or injury dramatically improve because they receive the appropriate care, services and supports they need to heal and prevent re-injury.
© September 2020 CARESTAR Foundation. All rights reserved.