Center for Healthy Communities awarded $1 million for gun violence prevention program

By Michelle Ryan-Day
[email protected]

The USA Health Center for Healthy Communities has received a $1 million grant to implement a public health initiative aimed at reducing gun violence among youth in Mobile County. The funding is part of Gov. Kay Ivey’s $4 million in statewide awards through the State Crisis Intervention Program, a national effort supported by the U.S. Department of Justice to enhance public safety and prevent gun-related tragedies.

With this grant, the center will launch a program focused on reaching court-involved and high-risk youth, utilizing a comprehensive, evidence-based approach that treats violence like a preventable disease. The initiative is rooted in prevention, mentorship, trauma response, and community outreach.

“We know that there are root causes that increase the risk of violence, just like with chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension,” said USA Health trauma surgeon Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., who also serves as director of the Center for Healthy Communities. “But with early intervention and prevention, we can change outcomes. This program is focused on stopping violence before it starts.”

Through the program, USA Health will collaborate with other community organizations to make it successful.

“It takes a village, and it’s going to take all of us. Yes, we put forward the proposal, but we have so many people who are partnering with us, including Strickland Youth Center, Lifelines Counseling and so many other community-based organizations,” she said. “I’m excited not to just be doing the work, but also to have such great partners.”

The program includes a hospital-based violence intervention component led by Joshua Jones, director of the initiative. Specialists will provide bedside support to gun violence victims, assess risks of retaliation, and connect individuals with vital services and mentorship. Street outreach teams will also play a critical role, engaging youth in conflict resolution strategies, trauma recovery, and building social capital.

“We want to address these kids from a comprehensive standpoint, building social capital, ensuring that they are connected to caring adults or individuals and involved in programs that promote pro-social activity, pro-social connection,” Jones said.

Violence intervention specialists will respond to gun violence victims at their bedside to identify any needs they may have, but to also identify if there is a possibility of retaliation. That is where the street outreach members step in and provide conflict resolution and de-escalation tactics.

“We want to address these kids holistically — emotionally, socially, and physically,” Jones said. “By connecting them with caring adults and real opportunities, we can shift trajectories away from violence.”

Jones acknowledged that gun violence is pervasive in the community, but he said comprehensive healing is the way to address it.

“The only way we can start to turn the curve on this issue is to take a step toward comprehensive healing,” he said. “That looks like not just taking care of the immediate wounds and injuries they sustained, but also the mental health aspect, trauma associated with it, and the lack of access to resources that would potentially prevent them from seeking that care.”

The University of South Alabama academic health system initiative is one of 11 projects across Alabama receiving funding through the State Crisis Intervention Program. The program supports mental healthcare, law enforcement training, community safety technologies, and education efforts aimed at preventing firearms from falling into the wrong hands.

“Alabamians deserve to feel safe in their communities, homes and schools,” Ivey said. “This program empowers agencies and organizations like the University of South Alabama to implement real solutions to gun violence.”

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is administering the grant funds.

Jones, who leads the program under USA Health’s Center for Healthy Communities, said everyone in the City of Mobile has a part to play in preventing gun violence.

“You have a part to play in ensuring that our next generation does not go down this route,” he said. “I want them to understand that as we push this forward, as we engage them, whether it's through surveys, whether it's through activities, whether it's through community events, make sure that you are a part of this solution.”