Building Cross-Sector Partnerships to Address Community Violence

On February 4, 2025, over 100 community members, healthcare, and academic professionals gathered at CU Anschutz Medical Campus for the REACH Clinic Community-Academic Forum: Healing from Community-Based Violence. Co-hosted by Denver Youth Program, the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, the Injury and Violence Prevention Center, and the Trailhead Institute Office of Firearm-related Harm and Violence Prevention, the event provided a space for cross-sector dialogue on supporting individuals and families impacted by community-based violence.

The forum focused on post-discharge wound care and wraparound service clinic models across the U.S., emphasizing how civic, community, healthcare, and academic partners can collaborate to improve holistic recovery from injury due to violence. 

About the REACH Clinic

The REACH Clinic, a recently launched initiative of Denver Youth Program (DYP), is among a growing group of clinics in the U.S. that offer multidisciplinary, wraparound care to survivors of community violence, including those with bullet-related injuries. Adopting a systems-transformative approach, the clinic introduces innovative processes that improve effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of care delivery. It is grounded in DYP’s core values—Respect, Empowerment, Accountability, Community, and Healing (REACH)—which guide this work. 

DYP integrates the efforts of its programs, including AIM, the hospital-based violence intervention program (At-Risk Intervention and Mentoring), and GRASP (Gang Rescue and Support Project), to support patients and their families from inpatient care through the transition home, providing ongoing case management.

Rooted in community-driven care, the REACH Clinic focuses on both medical recovery and supporting access to care by reducing barriers to care and addressing social determinants of health. These include providing culturally and providing essential services such as culturally responsive mental health support, housing, employment and education resources, legal aid, and behavioral health services. REACH aims to reduce reinjury rates and improve recovery outcomes through this long-term, integrated approach.

REACH is part of a small but growing network of post-injury clinics in the U.S, playing a key role in a national movement dedicated at transforming community support for survivors and advancing upstream community violence prevention efforts. 

Shaping a New Narrative on Community Violence

The forum’s keynote address, delivered by Cities United’s Deputy of People and Culture, Arnitta Holliman, MS, LPC, CPC, explored the systemic nature of community violence and the need for a comprehensive, community-led approach to prevention and healing.

"True violence prevention isn’t just about reducing numbers," Holliman said. "It’s about transforming systems, shifting policies, and building partnerships that create healing and hope."

She stressed the importance of centering those most affected by violence in decision-making processes, stating, "We can’t create change for them—we have to create change with them." Her remarks highlighted the need for youth engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and intentional language shifts that replace deficit-based narratives with strengths-based messaging.

Holliman also discussed Cities United’s ongoing partnership with the City of Denver, which began in 2018, and encouraged others working in this space to explore further collaboration opportunities, including the 12th Annual Cities United Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, October 29-31, as a platform for continued dialogue and partnership-building.

Addressing Violence Through Partnerships 

A key moment from the forum was a series of flash presentations by organizations from across the U.S., showcasing their unique approaches for post-discharge care and sharing strategies to support survivors beyond the hospital setting. 

Presenting Organizations:

• • The BRIC (Bullet-Related Injury Clinic); St. Louis, Missouri

  • The IVYY (Interrupting Violence in Youth and Young Adults) Project; Atlanta, Georgia

  • The TQoL (Trauma Quality of Life) Clinic; Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • The Wraparound BRIDGE Project; San Francisco, California 

Each presentation shared strategies for wraparound service delivery, data-driven intervention models, and survivor-centered recovery efforts. Representatives from these organizations highlighted the importance of forming cross-sector and multidisciplinary partnerships to provide resources for holistic healing, encouraging attendees to be creative and collaborative in their efforts to support developing the REACH Clinic in their communities.

Following the presentations, attendees participated in a constructive open forum. This allowed them to ask questions about the services provided at these clinics and collaboratively explore strategies to strengthen partnerships and improve initiatives aimed at preventing community-based violence.

Photos by JLMorgan Photography

The REACH Clinic Community-Academic Forum demonstrated the powerful impact of cross-sector partnerships in addressing community violence. By uniting healthcare, civic, academic, and community perspectives, the forum highlighted models of wraparound care that not only support survivors' immediate recovery but also address the systemic barriers to long-term healing. This collaborative approach is vital in transforming how communities care for survivors and preventing future violence.

National collaboration among post-injury wraparound clinics strengthens collective impact by fostering shared learning, mutual support, and best practices in violence recovery. Equally important is open communication between community, civic, healthcare, and academic organizations, which enhances coordination and improves violence prevention efforts.For those interested in contributing to these efforts, the coalition formed through this event provides an opportunity to support, collaborate, and drive meaningful change.

Learn more about the this work and how to get involved by visiting denveryouthprogram.org

Event contributors:

Johnnie Williams, the Executive Director of Denver Youth Program, leads the umbrella organizations overseeing GRASP, AIM, GRASP Enterprises, Hummingbird Initiative, My Outdoor Colorado, and Metro Denver Partners.Johnnie works directly with youth to provide constructive alternatives to gangs and other high-risk activities. Since joining GRASP in 2008, he has been a dedicated advocate for violence intervention, mentorship, and community empowerment.

Virginia (Ginny) McCarthy, DrPH, MPH, MDiv, is an assistant professor and affiliate faculty member of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and the Injury and Violence Prevention Center, specializing in violence intervention and prevention. She works closely with Denver Youth Program and GRASP to advance community-based prevention efforts in the Denver Metro area and has been instrumental in establishing the REACH Clinic.