June 8, 2023 noon
From the City of Racine:
Mayor Cory Mason is pleased to announce that the City of Racine was selected for a three-year grant from the Wisconsin Community Safety Fund (WCSF) to reduce violence stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1,500,000 grant will enable the City of Racine to establish a city-wide Office of Violence Prevention, contract with national violence reduction partners, engage local stakeholders, and develop a gun violence intervention plan based on community input and trends.
Mayor Mason released the following statement about the grant: “The City of Racine is strongly committed to a safe and healthy community. This grant will give us resources to establish an Office of Violence Prevention, collaborate more with community partners, and use evidence-based approaches to prevent crimes before they happen. “I want to invite everyone in Racine to join us in this work. Together, we can stop the violence and save lives, and we can help people heal and create long-lasting peace.”
The Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) recently announced the 10 communities and organizations from across Wisconsin that will receive a total of $10.4 million in grant funding from the WCSF. The WCSF was created to support local, evidence-based activities that enhance the safety and wellbeing of children, youth, and families. “The COVID-19 pandemic surfaced disparities confirming what we know to be true -- that violence is a public health problem. Implementing innovative approaches that foster community safety and prevent violence to others and oneself is possible with the right investment of resources,” said Reggie Moore, director of violence prevention at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “That the Wisconsin Community Safety Fund can provide these much-needed dollars and support will further help to build communities across the state that are healthy and safe for everyone.”
With the goal of increasing community capacity for violence prevention, Gov. Tony Evers allocated a portion of the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars received by the state of Wisconsin to fund these grants. State and local governments were encouraged to invest ARPA funds in addressing increased levels of gun violence, suicide, and intimate partner violence since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to creating a platform where the grantees can collaborate to share ideas and best practices, all 10 funded partners will receive support from the Comprehensive Injury Center at MCW to assist with data, evaluation, and training in public health approaches to violence prevention.
About the Wisconsin Community Safety Fund (WCSF): The Wisconsin Community Safety Fund (WCSF) was created to support local, evidence-informed activities that enhance the safety and wellbeing of children, youth, and families throughout Wisconsin. Recognizing the need to increase community capacity for violence prevention, this round of funding has been made available to support community-centered projects outside of traditional criminal justice approaches to public safety. The state of Wisconsin has partnered with the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Comprehensive Injury Center (MCW) to administer this statewide grant program.
About the Medical College of Wisconsin: With a history dating back to 1893, The Medical College of Wisconsin is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research, and community engagement. More than 1,400 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Central Wisconsin in. MCW’s School of Pharmacy opened in 2017. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In the last 10 years, faculty received more than $1.5 billion in external support for research, teaching, training, and related purposes. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 3,100 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,600 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 2.8 million patients annually.
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