Tagged With "Mental Health"
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An Important Event for Anyone in Higher Education in the Philadelphia Region
The Need for Trauma-Informed Curricula at Institutions of Higher Learning: A Call to Action On October 20th, Children's Crisis Treatment Center , The Philadelphia University Community and Trauma Counseling Program and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey are hosting a very special and important conversation for any one who is involved in training the next generation of service professionals - nurses, doctors, social workers, teachers, lawyers, community health...
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Announcing the release of Trauma-Informed Philanthropy, Volume 2
Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation, and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey are pleased to release Trauma-Informed Philanthropy, Volume Two , a new guide that feature s lessons learned from leading local and national efforts that provide insights on strategies for advancing the trauma-informed movement in Philadelphia. The three partnering organizations collaborated in 2016 to publish Trauma-Informed Philanthropy,...
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Apply to join: J-TEN Creativity in Cognitive Approaches to Trauma Treatment
Please consider joining the Jefferson Trauma Education Network for this four-part series on February 7, March 6, April 3 and May 1, 2020. Trainings will be free to all admitted into the program. For those requesting continuing education contact hours, the associated costs will be $75 in total for the entire series (3 NBCC contact hours per session). NBCC is an approved provider for the PA Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors. For all others...
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Arthur C. Evans Jr. Named CEO of American Psychological Association
Note: Arthur Evans, PhD, head of the City of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, has long been a leader in the trauma-informed movement, implementing recovery-oriented services for individuals served by the city, working to foster cross system collaboration with programs such Police Crisis Intervention (CIT), implementing early intervention initiatives for infants and toddlers, and using art to transform communities. As head of the APA, Arthur...
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Artists in the ACE and Resilience Movement: Creative Avenues to Change
They began with a song and ended with a poem. In-between, there were photographs and giant graphic renderings, movement exercises and a “human pulse” formed when 90 people stood in a circle and squeezed each other’s hands. At a June summit in Whatcom County, Washington, titled “Our Resilient Community: A Community Conversation on Resilience and Equity,” the arts played a starring role. Kristi Slette, executive director of the Whatcom Family and Community Network, one of two Washington sites...
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As awareness of childhood trauma rises, new free therapy program launches for Philly students [whyy.org]
The fire that destroyed her dad’s third-floor apartment is the scariest thing that’s ever happened to 8-year-old Dakota Johnson. It was five-thirty in the morning. Someone on the first floor of the building had fallen asleep smoking. Dakota and her dad, Kenneth Johnson, woke up to the sound of the fire alarm. First it seemed like it might be just a small blaze, but when Johnson opened the door to the apartment, smoke and soot rushed in. Dakota was too scared to crawl out into the hallway, so...
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Building on Arthur Evans' legacy: next steps for behavioral health in Philadelphia [Philly.com]
Dr. Arthur C. Evans steps down Friday after 12 years as commissioner of the city’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services – the name is one of myriad changes, large and small, that came under his watch. Evans brought tremendous vision and led a system-wide transformation effort focused on recovery, resilience, and self-determination . He embraced everything from prevention, early detection and intervention, to a variety of treatment types for the most serious...
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Call for Submissions: Third Annual Philadelphia Trauma Training Conference
The 3rd Annual Philadelphia Trauma Training Conference: Promoting Equitable Access to High Quality Services for Vulnerable Children and Families , will be held on Thomas Jefferson University's East Falls Philadelphia Campus July 29 th -August 1st, 2019 . This unique training conference will provide an intensive, collaborative, and engaging experience to providers, educators, and leaders across health, education, and social service disciplines, as well as to community members invested in...
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Call For Workshop and Poster Submissions: Third Philadelphia Trauma Training Conference
The 3rd Annual Philadelphia Trauma Training Conference: Promoting Equitable Access to High Quality Services for Vulnerable Children and Families , will be held on Thomas Jefferson University's East Falls Philadelphia Campus July 29 th -August 1st, 2019 . This unique training conference will provide an intensive, collaborative, and engaging experience to providers, educators, and leaders across health, education, and social service disciplines, as well as to community members invested in...
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Can Changing How We Talk About Childhood Toxic Stress Influence Policy? [drexelnow.edu]
How do you get people to support public policies that help children thrive? Do you emphasize the possible health consequences of child abuse, or do you emphasize the financial consequences for society as a whole? If you focus on consequences, does this messaging have the unintended consequence of creating prejudices towards vulnerable children and their families? When it comes to informing and persuading, how we deliver a message matters as much as the message itself. With a $500,000 grant...
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Case Statement on Trauma Informed Approaches
Attached is a Case Statement on Trauma Informed Approaches--it is a review of the Greater Harrisburg Area's and beyond's ACE scores, the outcomes of these ACEs and some ideas of how to resolve the negative consequences of this crisis of epidemic proportions. Please use it to advance the cause of moving from the bad news of ACEs towards the good news of becoming trauma informed and resilient. I would also welcome your comments, questions and recommendations! Thank you.
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Check out the new Community Health Explorer for Philadelphia
To view the Community Health Explorer, click here . The Community Health Explorer is a joint project between the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health and Office of Open Data and Digital Transformation . The Explorer is intended to provide easy-to-use, responsive and accessible visualization tools for viewing the vast amount of data collected annually for the Community Health Assessment (CHA). The CHA is a systematic assessment of population health in Philadelphia, highlighting...
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Check out this fantastic series about mental health in schools
NPR has sponsored a special series entitled The Mental Health Crisis in Our Schools. Click here to read more.
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Childhood Trauma makes Policy discussions on a National & International Scale
In an effort to become more educated about adverse childhood experiences , trauma , and resilience and what is happening surrounding those topics in current events, I registered for Google Alerts for each of the aforementioned headings. As a...
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Children’s Behavior Health Clinic Integrates ACEs Screening To Tailor Treatment
When children and their parents first visit Northeast Treatment Centers (NET) Children’s Behavior Health Services in Philadelphia, they fill out a 10-question survey about their adverse childhood experiences so that therapists can tailor...
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'Children's Recovery from Adverse Experiences: Is it luck or something else?' Panel Discussion and 2015 Mayoral Forum
Children’s Crisis Treatment Center (CCTC) and The Scattergood Foundation invite you to join us for a compelling discussion on April 9th: Children's Recovery from Adverse Experiences: Is it luck or som ething else? The unrelenting...
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Chronic Stress Early In Childhood For Women Could Cause Premature Birth Later On: Study
By Kristin Magaldi Excessive stress has a variety of different health repercussions , but researchers are finding that, for pregnant women, stress can affect the quality of life of their baby. In a new study , David Olson and a...
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City Health Dashboard Now Available! A new tool can help Philadelphia measure itself
The City Health Dashboard is now available. According to its creators it is a useful tool for "empowering cities to create thriving communities." This user friendly platform allows people to look at 36 measures of health, the factors that shape health, and drivers of health equity to guide local solutions for 500 U.S. cities. A quick look at Philadelphia revealed these indicators of our health and well-being Philadelphia had an income inequality score of -24.2 , compared to an average of...
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Clergy embrace trauma informed training in Greater Philadelphia region
An exceptional all-day “Trauma-Informed Training for Clergy” event was held in Philadelphia in May 2017, organized by JSR Educational Enrichment Strategies, Inc. Founder and President Doris Smith-Ribner, Retired PA State Appeals Court Judge. Judge Smith-Ribner recognized the need for this training particularly for those on the front lines of dealing with the impacts of trauma and its prevalence within Philadelphia—the Clergy. Here is her report from that meeting. Highly-regarded trauma...
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Commentary: Is President Trump Causing Toxic Stress? [www.scattergoodethics.org]
A researcher and psychologist from Philadelphia pose the question, is President Trump causing toxic stress? The presidency is supposed to age the president, not the public.” And with that Jon Stewart, former host of the Daily Show and comic genius, touched on an overlooked but very serious public health question. Is Donald Trump, with his daily Twitter harangues, impulsive and outrageous executive orders, and all around nastiness harming the health of individuals? Have people become more...
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Community Health Worker Peer (CHWP) Training Academy
The Drexel University Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice | Healing Hurt People - In partnership with the Drexel University Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, Philadelphia Works and The Behavioral Health Training and Education Network presents: Community Health Worker Peer (CHWP) Training Academy Do you know what it is like to be impacted by violence in your neighborhood? Do you want to help people heal from their injuries? We invite you to learn more about becoming a...
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Community Health Worker Peer Training/Certified Peer Specialist Training Academy
Training Opportunity Do you know what it is like to be impacted by violence in your neighborhood? Do you want to use your experiences to help other people heal from their injuries? We invite you to learn more about becoming a Community Health Worker Peer/Certified Peer Specialist! The Drexel University Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice is currently seeking applicants for our 9-week Community Health Worker Peer (CHWP)/Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) Training Academy . This program,...
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Community Voices: Creating a Just, Healthy and Resilient World
Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) is a vibrant learning collaborative of fourteen sites actively engaged in building the movement for a just, healthy and resilient world. Using the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resiliency as their organizing framework, these communities have built strong cross-sector networks to help heal and prevent early childhood adversity. From October 2016 through May 2017, we were privileged to travel to all fourteen MARC...
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Creating Community-Driven Messages that “Catch On” in Philadelphia
How do you create a story so powerful that no matter who is spreading the message, it moves through communities, almost like a virus? This very question is the focus of an upcoming project in Philadelphia. After the Atlantic Health...
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Defending Childhood
Common Sense Millions of injured children whose pleas are not being heard are waiting at the intersection of the “Defending Childhood” Report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Congress’s rewrite...
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DeLauro, Murray Introduce Children’s Recovery From Trauma Act
Press release orginially posted on Congresswoman DeLauro's Homepage Washington, D.C. - June 3rd, 2015, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Children’s Recovery from Trauma Act ,...
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Department of Counseling and Behavioral Health & Trauma Conference
Thomas Jefferson University's newly formed Department of Counseling and Behavioral Health has generated its first-ever newsletter . If you're interested in trauma-informed training and education , or if you simply want to stay abreast of the work of some great clinicians, researchers, advocates and aspiring professionals, please have a look. The Community and Trauma Counseling program currently has Art Therapy options and is launching two new specializations and certificates this summer: (1)...
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Developing a Trauma-Informed Public Policy Guide
On November 13, 2014 the ACEs Connection community managers held a casual ACEs Meet-Up to discuss with interested individuals: “ How do we build a trauma-informed city? “ The group of participants had a discussion around starting in...
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District finds that creating more trauma-informed schools requires a change of culture [thenotebook.org]
“The world of thinking about trauma, the importance of school climate and social-emotional learning is 20, 30, 40 years behind the world of instruction." Joanna Schwartz, a 2nd-grade teacher at Eliza B. Kirkbride Elementary School, was about to take a scheduled break and desperately needed a place to have peace and quiet. But the only place she could find was a broom closet. A few years earlier, in another school, Schwartz said teachers were baffled by a 3rd grader who continually fell...
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Dr. Lee Pachter & Dr. Tina Cheng of Philadelphia ACE Taskforce Comment on Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases in JAMA
Dr. Lee Pachter from the Department of Pediatrics, St Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Dr. Tina Cheng from the Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, are both members...
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Penn study finds teen trauma raises depression risk in menopause [phillyvoice.com]
Women who experience multiple traumatic events and chronic stress during their teenage years face a higher risk of depression during menopause than those who don't—even without a history of depression, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. In a study conducted by the Perelman School of Medicine, the first of its kind to focus on the role of childhood adversity in the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD) during menopause, researchers concluded that hormonal changes...
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Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro: “Protecting Students Is a Must” [phillymag.com]
On Monday night, Drexel University’s Creese Student Center was the site of the second roundtable discussion in Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro ’s ongoing series on college campus safety. Shapiro launched the initiative in August with the broad goal of preventing drug and alcohol abuse, sexual assault, and tragedies stemming from mental health issues on the campuses of colleges and universities statewide. “When parents take their kids to college and drive off in their minivans, of...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force 2019 Highlights
It has been a busy and productive year for the Philadelphia ACE Task Force culminating in a big win for our Policy work group. Last week, on December 10, 2019, the Philadelphia City Council approved Resolution No. 19098900 , "Calling upon the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to recognize Secondary Traumatic Stress as a workplace hazard, recommend steps to address mental health injury as a psychological hazard in the workplace as they do with physical injury, and create a...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force ACEs Messaging Group Meeting
The ACEs Messaging Group met on Tuesday, October 12 th to discuss their project on their messaging work with three different target audiences. The group began with some light housekeeping – agreeing to keep the space and meeting location and deciding to cancel their November 8 th meeting so that everyone in the group has the opportunity to get out to vote. Several members of the group have been engaged in an online course through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement which focuses on...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force ACEs Messaging Group Meeting
The ACEs Messaging Group (AMG) met on Tuesday, December 13 th to discuss small group the work that had been done in November in lieu of a larger group meeting. The group began with a history and overview of the work, revisiting the discussion of particular target audiences: youth, parents of young children, and older adults. Each small group then updated the larger AMG about their work. The group focused on youth reported back about the event that took place at UrbanPromise in which a group...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force ACEs Messaging Group Meeting
The ACEs Messaging Group met on Tuesday, April 11 th . Representatives from each of the three subgroups focusing on messaging to youth, older adults, and parents of young children were in attendance. The group began with a review of the Philadelphia Block Captains Rally where members from the Older Adults and Parents of Young Children Messaging Groups presented their messaging work. Members interviewed roughly 80 block captains about several messaging options and reported that the block...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force Co-Hosts Screening of CAREgivers Film for Philadelphia City Council
In partnership with Councilwoman Helen Gym, Councilman Al Taubenberger, and documentary filmmakers Vic Compher and Rodney Whittenberg, the Philadelphia ACE Task Force co-hosted a screening of Portraits of Professional Caregivers: Their Passion. Their Pain. and briefing about Secondary Traumatic Stress for Philadelphia City Council on Friday, April 21 st . Councilmembers, their staffers, and other community leaders attended the screening and briefing. The audience was struck by the depiction...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force Community Education Work Group Meeting
The Community Education Work Group met on Tuesday, January 19th at the CityLife Neighborhood Clinic in Philadelphia, PA. Representatives from the CityLife Neighborhood Clinics gave the group an overview of the work that they do, explaining that they often see the impact that ACEs have throughout the life course in the seniors they serve. Group members were interested in potential opportunities to develop intergenerational programming. The majority of the meeting was spent reviewing and...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force Community Education Work Group Meeting
The Community Education Work Group met on Thursday, February 18th at the Health Federation of Philadelphia. The group began with a review of the work they had done in 2015 to convene Philadelphia ACE Task Force professional members with community members to learn more about trauma and messaging. The group then discussed directions for the ACEs Messaging Group (AMG) project, funded by the First Hospital Foundation , giving consideration to target locations for messaging and focus groups, the...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force Full Body Meeting
The Philadelphia ACE Task Force held their full body meeting on September 26 th , 2016. The meeting began with a brief community meeting – the group was generally energized and excited. Philadelphia ACE Task Force Staff did a report out on the launch of the website: philadelphiaACEs.org on August 15 th . In a little over a month, the website had over 700 views from all over the US and from outside the country. The website had been visited every day since the launch and many spent a good deal...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force Practical Interventions Work Group Meeting
The Practical Interventions Work Group met on Thursday, February 25th, 2016 at the Center for the Urban Child at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Following the December meeting in which the decision was made to organize a Philadelphia treatment resource guide by individual ACEs, Philadelphia ACE Task Force (PATF) staff attempted to develop tools to collect referral data from PATF members. The group reviewed the referral materials including the excel document that had been created to...
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Philadelphia ACE Task Force Workforce Development Work Group Meeting
The Workforce Development Work Group met on Wednesday, January 20 th at Friends Center in Philadelphia, PA. The group began with updates of recent work, including work that had been done in 2015, which was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This work was focused on encouraging graduate level programs incorporate ACE-related information into their curricula. The work resulted in local and national environmental scans as well as a training in trauma-informed care for Temple...
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Philadelphia ACEs Virtual Connection Meet-Up: "Education"
On Tuesday, August 19 th , 2014, the first day of my Advanced Level Field Placement as an M.S.W. Student at Temple University, I participated in the second Philadelphia ACEs Virtual Connection Group “Meet-Up” at the Friends Center...
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Philadelphia App Links Youth to Resources and Services [ChronicleofSocialChange.org]
For youth exiting the foster care system, finding a way to access supports and services can be hard. There are many organizations and agencies that offer service to transition-age youth, but knowing where to look for resources like crisis mental health services, computer access, mentoring opportunities and food banks can be a struggle. Many youth are facing unstable and stressful living situations, barriers that make locating help nearby a challenge. In Philadelphia, advocates hope that a...
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Philadelphia devotes $4.4 million to 'holistic' anti-violence programs [witf.org]
(Philadelphia) -- Mayor Jim Kenney announced on Thursday that the city would dedicate more than $4 million to "interrupting" violence on neighborhood streets. Flanked by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, members of City Council and anti-violence advocates, Kenny introduced a set of new programs that will focus on gun violence as a public health problem. He said the city would seek to promote a more data-driven and "holistic" approach to stanching the city's rising homicide rate.
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Philadelphia named Finalist for RWJF's Culture of Health Prize
Princeton, N.J .—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced the 16 communities that have been chosen as finalists for the fourth annual RWJF Culture of Health Prize. The Prize honors communities that place a high priority on health and bring partners together to drive local change. Selected from nearly 200 applicants, the following 16 finalist communities are one step closer to the coveted national Prize: 24:1 Community Region, Missouri Clayton County, Georgia Columbia Gorge Region,...
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Philadelphia needs to respond to black people's trauma from police shootings | Editorial [philly.com]
Last Tuesday, a police officer in a Pittsburgh suburb shot and killed 17-year-old Antwon Rose . The black teenager was unarmed and cell phone footage footage shows that he was fleeing the police officer when he was shot. The devastating effects of this incident will ripple far beyond Allegheny County and according to a new study, it will be felt widely. In the study , researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Boston University, and Harvard examined the mental health effect on black...
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Philadelphia Physicians Present ACEs to Medical Licensing Board
Psychiatrist Sandra Bloom , Co-chair of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force and Associate Professor of at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University, and...
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Philadelphia Premiere of Paper Tigers to be shown at Philadelphia ACE Film Festival - REGISTRATION IS OPEN
The Philadelphia ACE Task Force along with sponsors including the Scattergood Foundation , the Health Federation of Philadelphia , Behavioral Health Training and Education Network and Exude , will host Philadelphia's first ACE Film Festival on Wednesday, January 27th, from 12:30 - 5:30 at WHYY Studios in Philadephia. The Festival will feature two powerful films - the Philadelphia premiere of Paper Tige rs by James Redford takes an intimate look into the lives of selected...
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Philadelphia to hold hearing on gun violence
The Special Committee on Gun Violence will be holding a hearing jointly with City Council’s Committee on Public Safety on Monday, March 18 th , 1-4PM, in Council Chambers (Room 400, City Hall). This will be an opportunity for the Office of Violence Prevention to provide some detail on the recently released plan, The Philadelphia Roadmap to Safer Communities.