Violence Prevention and Response

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health uses a public health model to create sustainable, measurable violence prevention strategies. Our prevention philosophy:

• Work with or create a violence prevention coalition of stakeholders tailored for each community.
• Focus on sustainable efforts implemented through community partners.  
• Work to reduce risk factors associated with youth violence and increase protective factors. 
• Connect neighborhood and school efforts to keep youth safe and out of trouble.  

At every level along the health care model, the community is involved as we maintain the answers are in the community. We are currently working in the cities of Federal Way, Des Moines, and Parkland to reduce juvenile arrests and address chronic absenteeism at a middle school in Des Moines.

Community partners in youth violence prevention

• Community based organizations such as Phenomenal She, Game of Life Mentoring, Progress Pushers, Because It takes a Village: Child Learning Collaborative, The Federal Way Multi Service Center and many more
• Seattle Childrens' Washington State Firearm Tragedy Prevention Network
• King County Public Health
• Tacoma Pierce County Health Department
• Federal Way Public Schools
• Highline Public Schools
• Franklin Pierce School District 
• King County Juvenile Probation
• Seattle Indian Health Board
• Local police departments
• Safe Streets campaign
• The City of Tacoma's Intervention Team
• King County Best Starts for Kid

Learn more about the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Youth Violence Prevention Initiative by downloading our Fact Sheet.

The goals of the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Program:

1. Expand community-driven prevention efforts for sexual violence, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, and human trafficking.
2. Promote trauma-informed community responses to victim-survivors of violence.
3. Coordinate hospital-based task forces that bring together key department leadership and community partners to discuss procedures, policies, and education connected to responding to gender-based violence cases and patient care.
4. Eliminate barriers to services for victim-survivors of violence.
5. Improve processes for incorporating victim-survivor involvement in the development of policies, programs, and funding opportunities that impact them.

Our gender-based violence response efforts are in King, Pierce, Kitsap, and Snohomish counties. 

To learn more about local agencies who provide services to those impacted by sexual violence, intimate partner violence, domestic violence and human trafficking, you can access Virginia Mason  Franciscan Health’s PEARR tool (Provide Privacy, Educate, Ask, Respect, and Respond) here.

To learn more about CommonSpirit Health’s Human Trafficking Program and to access free education modules, click here.

Community partners in gender-based violence prevention and response:

• Rebuilding Hope!
• Crystal Judson Family Justice Center
• Rapid Save Investigations
• Cocoon House’s THRIVE Program
• King County Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Task Force
• WashACT
• Providence Intervention Center for Assault and Abuse
• YWCA of Pierce County
• Futures Without Violence

Through a grant received from our parent company, CommonSpirit Health, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has the opportunity to offer limited funding for local initiatives that clearly advance violence prevention goals pertaining to: youth violence, human trafficking, sexual and intimate partner violence and domestic violence. These focus communities are in Pierce, South King, Kitsap, and Snohomish Counties. Mini-grants will be provided to start or expand projects or programs that will help the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Violence Prevention Initiative. Funding will be awarded on an ongoing basis until it runs out. Organizations are encouraged to submit proposals in the range of $500 minimum to a maximum of $10,000.

We encourage you to contact Brenda Mbaabu, Violence Prevention Coordinator, at [email protected] with any questions and to request a Mini-Grant Application.