FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2003

Contact:
Julio Marcial, TCWF
(818) 702-1900

Deborah Weinberg, Town Hall LA
213.312.9465

HISTORIC REPORT ON VIOLENCE AND HEALTH PRESENTED BY TCWF, LOS ANGELES TIMES, TOWN HALL LOS ANGELES

Event on May 14, 2003, Focused on World Health Organization’s Report and Dialogue With Violence Prevention Experts on Local Solutions

Woodland Hills, CA – In collaboration with the Los Angeles Times and Town Hall Los Angeles, The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) co-presented the United States debut of the World Health Organization's (WHO) “World Report on Violence and Health” at the Los Angeles Times’ Harry Chandler Auditorium on May 14, 2003. In addition, a dialogue by a distinguished panel of violence prevention experts explored the recent rise in violence against youth in California and provided approaches to preventing violence in communities across the state.

The WHO’s report is the first comprehensive report of its kind to address violence as a global public health issue. It shows not only the human toll of violence - more than 1.6 million lives lost each year - but also the countless others that are damaged in ways that are not always apparent. This report exposes the many aspects of violence, as well as the settings in which it occurs and shows that where violence persists, health is seriously compromised. A summary of the report is available in a .pdf format in the following languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Russian.

"We need to address violence, to hear the stories of all those affected by violence, and this report by the World Health Organization does just that," said Gary L.Yates, TCWF president and CEO. "Its global scope showed us that violence is a preventable public health issue that knows no borders. No community is immune from the public health risks of violence, and only by raising awareness of its root causes and working collaboratively with broad-based coalitions can we gather resources to prevent violence from affecting the health of the people in California."

"The Los Angeles Times is very committed to helping disadvantaged children and youth in Southern California through our philanthropic programs and collaborative partnerships,” said Los Angeles Times’ Publisher John P. Puerner. “The findings of this report are significant, particularly the trends on violence that affect the well-being of our youth and their ability to lead healthy and productive lives.”

The U.S. presentation of the WHO’s report featured the report's coordinator Dr. Etienne Krug, WHO director of injuries and violence prevention.
“There is nothing inevitable about violence, nor is it an intrinsic part of the human condition,” said Krug. “This report attempts to contribute to the knowledge base in violence prevention. It is the intention of the World Health Organization that this report be used to facilitate increased cooperation and commitment to preventing violence.”

The release of the report initiated a “Global Campaign for Violence Prevention.” Many countries, including Belgium, Costa Rica, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, India, Peru, Australia, Madagascar, Colombia, the Philippines, Thailand, Mozambique, South Africa, and Croatia have held events to raise awareness about violence as a public health issue.

The event at the Los Angeles Times also included a roundtable discussion with distinguished violence prevention experts who explored ways violence can be prevented, specifically approaches to prevent violence against youth. Participants included moderator Karen Bass, executive director of the Community Coalition, Leroy “Chico” Brown, director of gang prevention/intervention at A Place Called Home, Daude Sherrills, assistant director at the Community Self-Determination Institute in Los Angeles, Linda Dahlberg, deputy associate director for science with the Violence Prevention Division of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and Ruben Gonzalez, Jr., former San Bernardino deputy sheriff and now chairperson for the Youth Justice Coalition in Los Angeles.

“It is by coming together to discuss this most critical of issues, that we as a community can become educated on the public health ramifications of violence, take an active role in finding solutions, and as a result affect change,” said Town Hall Los Angeles President Adrienne Medawar.

Toward this goal, Town Hall Los Angeles will air an edited program of Dr. Krug’s comments on its weekly radio broadcast show “Town Hall on the Air.“ Town Hall will also post a digest of remarks of the violence prevention panel in the Town Hall Journal, and has arranged for the audio cast of the program to be heard on the Los Angeles Times’ website at www.latimes.com/townhall.

The California Wellness Foundation is an independent, private foundation created in 1992, with a mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. As one of the nation’s leading funders in violence prevention, the Foundation has granted nearly $90 million dollars to prevent violence against youth during the last 10 years.

The Foundation provides funding in eight priority areas: Diversity in the Health Professions, Environmental Health, Healthy Aging, Mental Health, Teenage Pregnancy Prevention, Violence Prevention, Women's Health, and Work and Health. It also provides funding for other health issues through its Special Projects Fund. The Foundation has awarded 3,133 grants totaling approximately $400 million since 1992. Please visit TCWF's website at www.tcwf.org for more information.

The Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing company, is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country and the winner of 30 Pulitzer Prizes. Town Hall Los Angeles, one of the nation’s top 10 speaker forums, is where Southern Californians meet with today’s newsmakers to discuss the issues that impact our community, the nation and the world.

Please visit TCWF’s website at www.tcwf.org for more information on the WHO’s report on violence, as well as links to the World Health Organization, the Los Angeles Times, and Town Hall Los Angeles websites. In addition, specific information on violence prevention efforts in California can also be found on the Foundation’s website.

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Note to reporters & editors: "The" in The California Wellness Foundation name is part of the Foundation's legal name. Please do not drop or lowercase the "T."