This podcast is part of a series highlighting innovative approaches to reducing violence and improving health

outcomes among at-risk minority youth at the nine demonstration sites of the Minority

Youth Violence Prevention Initiative ([ Ссылка ]) . One of these demonstrations sites is the Youth

ALIVE! ([ Ссылка ]) anti-violence program in Oakland, Calif. Rafael Vasquez of Youth ALIVE!’s

hospital-based violence intervention program, Caught in the Crossfire, joins the Center in this podcast to discuss

Caught in the Crossfire and Youth ALIVE!’s novel approach to treating trauma.







 



 



The following

is a transcript



RAPHAEL POPE-SUSSMAN :

Hi, this is Raphael Pope-Sussman for the Center for Court Innovation. This podcast is part of a series we are doing

with people seeking to curb violence and improve access to public health for at-risk minority youth as part of the

Minority Youth Violence Prevention initiative. The initiative is a partnership of the Office of Minority Health at

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services at the U.S.

Department of Justice that encourages collaboration among public health organizations, law enforcement agencies,

and community-based groups.



Our podcast series highlights

innovative approaches at the nine demonstration sites that have received funding under the program. Youth ALIVE!,

which is based in Oakland, is an anti-violence program that serves youth injured by violence or exposed to violence,

youth who have a close relationship with murder victims, and formerly incarcerated youth. In August, I spoke with

Rafael Vasquez, program coordinator at Youth ALIVE!’s “Caught in the Crossfire” hospital-based violence

intervention program, about “Caught in the Crossfire” and Youth ALIVE!’s new trauma screening tool:

The Screening Tool for Awareness and Relief of Trauma, also known as START. This interview was recorded at Youth

ALIVE! headquarters.



POPE-SUSSMAN: Hi, I’m Raphael

Pope-Sussman and today we’re speaking with Rafael Vasquez, program coordinator at “Caught in the Crossfire”

at the Youth ALIVE! program. Rafael, thank you for speaking with me.



RAFAEL

VASQUEZ: You’re welcome. Thank you.



POPE-SUSSMAN

: So …  “Caught in the Crossfire.”



VASQUEZ:

“Caught in the Crossfire” is a hospital-based intervention program. It’s been around for over 20 years.

It was started at Highland Hospital. We service young men who have been victims of crime. We provide wraparound management

services and we meet them at the hospital, which we believe, it’s a crucial place to meet them at. We try to

build the trust and a relationship with them, so that we can follow them out once they are discharged from the hospital.



POPE-SUSSMAN : Can you talk about how that happens logistically?



VASQUEZ: If someone comes into the hospital, we have an injury prevention

coordinator at the hospital, she works for the hospital. She is the actually first interviewer of the client. She

tells them a little bit about the program. She lets them know what sort of services we provide. She will then make

a referral out to the program manager and then I actually go and meet with the client, in person, at the hospital.

From there on, we match them up with an interventions specialist.



POPE-SUSSMAN

: Can you tell me a little bit about the first visit?



VASQUEZ:

The first visit can go in a lot of different ways. Generally, what should happen is you go in, make introductions,

you introduce the program yourself, explain the program, you also let them know, depending on the severity of the

injury, what sort of things they can expect from the doctors, what questions they may have. You can sometimes answer

some of those questions for them, give them advice in terms of what they can do to feel better. Sometimes they’re

in a lot of pain and the interactions that they’re having are not necessarily positive at that time. They’re

scared, so you try to gain as much information as you can. Do they have legal problems, or that kind of thing? Are

they okay at home? Do they have children? Are the kids okay? Are there any safety issues where they’re going?



Often times, we’ve had to move families out of where they’re at

just for their own safety. That’s what tends to happen in the first visit. That’s what you want to do.

The idea is that you want to make sure they’re not going to retaliate, go after somebody. Make sure that they’re

safe once they exit the hospital and someone isn’t going to come after t...

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