EL CENTRO receives award from CVAC

In observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights week, the Coordinated Victims Assistance Center (CVAC) hosted the “Engaging Communities. Empowering Victims” event on April 22, 2015, where it presented Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research: El Centro, with an award in recognition of El Centro and CVAC’S longstanding community partnership.

By SONHSNews 04-29-2015

CVAC is a center within Miami Dade County’s Department of Community Action and Human Services, Violence Prevention and Intervention Division, which focuses on providing coordinated and comprehensive assistance to victims of domestic violence and their families. These services range from violence prevention and crisis intervention, to capacity building, and include safety planning, counseling, education and referral, emergency financial assistance, shelter, and legal services.

El Centro has worked with CVAC since 2009 on a number of projects aimed at improving health equity among victims of crime in Miami Dade County. Currently, El Centro and CVAC are collaborating on a study that investigates predictors of HIV and other STIs (sexually transmitted diseases) in racially and ethnically diverse victims of intimate partner violence. El Centro is also currently working with CVAC on a federally funded grant to evaluate the impact of specialized services for victims of human trafficking in Miami Dade County. Dr. Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, who accepted the award on behalf of El Centro, said, “This award honors El Centro, and CVAC’s enduring partnership to help reduce health disparities in our community. Our work together demonstrates how campus-community partnerships can provide powerful leverage for change.”

Congratulations to the El Centro team for their continued efforts to empower vulnerable populations and reduce health disparities in Miami-Dade County!