When lawmakers try to tackle gun violence, they often turn to measures like adding police officers or cracking down on illegal guns. But what happens when they treat violent crime as a public-health problem — one that affects the whole community? Earlier this month, the D.C. Council gave preliminary approval toa measure that would create an Office of Violence Prevention and Health Equity, among other provisions. Armando Trull heads to Baltimore to see how a similar public-health approach is working there.

When someone who has been shot, stabbed or severely beaten arrives at the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, the first step is to heal the physical wounds. But soon thereafter, counselors at the University of Maryland Medical Center facility step in to address other concerns.

Read more at: https://wamu.org/news/16/02/24/treating_street_violence_as_a_contagion_b...