CDC: Identify youth at risk of violence

WILMINGTON, DEL. In a groundbreaking study released Tuesday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wilmington officials need to work together to identify at-risk youth more likely to engage in violence and provide them with preventive services.

Officials from the state Department of Health and Social Services made public Tuesday morning the results of the study looking into the root causes of gun violence in Wilmington. This type of study has not been done by the CDC anywhere else.

Rita Landgraf, the secretary of the State’s Department of Health and Social Services, thanked the CDC for agreeing to study gun violence.

“We cannot arrest our way out of this problem. We need to engage the science or root cause analysis with practice on the ground that will bring forth healthy outcomes,” said Landgraf.

The study recommends increased collaboration among Delaware social service agencies in preventing violence, saying agencies should consult technical and legal counsel to develop policies to determine how the data can be shared while also protecting the privacy of individuals.

“These individuals need multiple wraparound social services,” said Paul Silverman, associate deputy director for Health Information & Science at the Delaware Division of Public Health.

“The majority of individuals involved in urban firearm violence are young men with a wide range of life events,” Silverman said. “These youth need intensive help to prevent them from becoming involved in future violence,” he added.

The Department of Health and Social Services will pilot a risk assessment tool so the agencies can link and share data.

Last year, Wilmington again ranked third in violence among 450 cities of comparable size, trailing the Michigan cities of Saginaw and Flint, according to the FBI.