Reducing Child Fatalities and Recurring Injuries

The Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center and the Health Equity Department of St. Francis Hospital will partner with a community-based organization, Hartford Communities that Care, to reduce the number of child deaths and repeated injuries in Geogrpahic Area 14 (GA-14) of Connecticut. GA-14 consists of the City of Hartford and the surrounding towns of West Hartford, Avon, Canton and Farmington. The major components of this Purpose Area 1 project are research, multidisciplinary collaboration and engagement of citizens representing GA-14 demographics. The area of focus was chosen because of the demographic differences in the municipalities. Hartford, Connecticut, is one of the poorest cities in the nation, while the surrounding suburbs represent the Connecticut-stereotype as a wealthy state. The racial and ethnic diversity of Hartford and West Hartford are similar, while income differs vastly. Such factors make GA-14 a prime site for exploring risk factors, knowledge, attitudes, CPS and law enforcement responses, and the fit of prevention and treatment models for specific populations related to reducing the numbers of child maltreatment injuries and fatalities, and improve services to child maltreatment victims. CA/NCF