BROWN BAG SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP MEETING XI: SPR DIVERSITY NETWORK COMMITTEE-CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE STRATEGIES FOR THE PREVENTION OF TRAUMA AMONG SECONDARY VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE

In neighborhoods and communities across the US, the issue of violence has become endemic. The vast majority of trauma exposure in the United States is ongoing and includes multiple, co-occurring types of trauma (Anda et al., 2006; Dong et al., 2004; Pynoos et al., 2009). Random acts of violence, unanticipated loss and death, exposure to drug use and distribution, incarceration, and economic disparities are universally common types of traumatic experiences and yet are chronically and historically pervasive in urban communities of color. Law enforcement and Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are often the first responders assisting individuals and communities during natural and manmade episodic disasters. Faith based organizations and non-governmental agencies may be called upon to lend support. However, when it comes to chronic exposure to violence there are little to no trained responders and services offered to adequately address the grief and loss experienced by communities where violence in the form of community deprivation, violent crime, racism, oppression, and isolation is paramount. Although surviving communities of both natural and manmade disasters and violence experience traumatic loss and grief, the resources and services readily available to assist communities are dramatically different. This SIG is being convened to discuss research-based, prevention strategies which can be implemented in communities to support community members and prevent them from becoming secondary victims of violence in both acute (i.e. in response to a disaster) and chronic (i.e., in communities of color with endemic violence) situations. This information is vital to the development and provision of effective, culturally responsive strategies designed to meet the needs of diverse communities.