CoSERV Conference addresses ways to prevent violence

Representatives from health systems, schools, cities, judicial systems, and mental health organizations across the Southeast gathered Friday at the University of South Alabama to discuss ways to build an ecosystem against violence.

The 2nd annual Consortium of Southeast Region Violence Intervention Programs (CoSERV) Conference was held at the USA MacQueen Alumni Center and hosted by the USA Health Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery and the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities.

“This was an opportunity for both hospital- and community-based violence intervention programs from across the Southeast to network, collaborate and move the vision forward together,” said trauma surgeon Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., director of the Center for Healthy Communities and founder of Project Inspire, a youth mentorship program at USA Health University Hospital. “There is so much we can learn from each other and so much to be gained through partnerships and collaboration.”

With support and partnership from the City of Mobile and the Mobile County Health Department, USA Health is establishing the region’s only Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program in early 2025. The goal of the initiative is to help combat cycles of violent crime and retaliation by engaging crime victims as they are being treated in the hospital and connecting victims and their families to long-term services and support.

The CoSERV conference featured talks from a variety of representatives and a Q&A with community stakeholders. Sessions addressed reducing violence in cities across the Southeast and included updates on federal policies. The day concluded with a collaborative brainstorming session.

“Prevention, intervention and advocacy are all needed to move the needle,” Williams Hogue said. “We have all the stakeholders present at the table. The next steps will include implementation of strategies, measuring outcomes, and evaluating effectiveness.”

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