Recent CVI grants from the state, have been funded by one-time federal dollars. These opportunities have given transformative dollars to communities - but they cannot sustain the programs developed with these initial grants. Municipal budgets and philanthropic opportunities come and go and can’t sustain long-term strategies that are needed to prevent violence.

Michigan chose to plant and grow our CVI office in the department of health and human services for a reason. And the State must identify permanent resources to fund prevention and intervention strategies that can support a public health approach.

Medicaid can be utilized as a permanent source of funding for community violence intervention and prevention programs - through two approaches - street outreach and hospital-based violence intervention programs.

Seven other states, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Oregon, have passed legislation allowing Medicaid to reimburse services involved in violence prevention and Michigan should consider saving general fund dollars by leveraging the 65:35 federal to state FMAP as a permanent and reliable source of funding for local programs.

More information, from the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, is available here: https://www.thehavi.org/public-funding-for-violence-intervention