A unique partnership between a doctor and a patient has led to the establishment of the Centering Survivors and Families Research Collaborative — Cleveland. The collaborative aims to conduct research on firearm harms and injury in Cleveland, with a focus on supporting survivors and their families.

Understanding the Needs of Survivors and Families

The research collaborative, which includes trauma surgeons, social workers, and individuals personally impacted by gun violence, has published its first projects. These projects include a quote book featuring the stories of 21 individuals with personal experience of gun violence, as well as a survey of 267 adults in the Cleveland area about their needs after interpersonal violence.

The survey found that survivors ranked money for housing, rent, and utilities as their top need, with nearly half receiving little to no help with these services. The data also showed that nine in ten respondents considered mental health support later on to be highly important, with about 37% not receiving this help.

Developing a Tool to Prevent Gun Violence

The team is now working with Case Western Reserve researchers and MetroHealth doctors to develop a tool that shows the complexity of gun violence prevention and intervention. This tool will connect various factors, such as income levels, mental healthcare access, and employment rates, to violence.

The hope is that this tool will help identify leverage points that can improve or worsen gun violence, ultimately leading to more effective solutions and interventions.

Original reporting: Signal Cleveland — read the source article.