The Nebraska Collaborative for Violence Intervention and Prevention (NeCVIP) is a partnership between the UNO School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (SCCJ) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine. NeCVIP combines a criminological and medical perspective to reduce gun violence and support victims of violent injury.
Our priorities include:
- Research and Evaluation: Conduct community-driven and systems-based research on the causes, consequences, and solutions to violence, particularly resulting in firearm injury. Researchers also evaluate existing community interventions to improve policy and effective practices.
- Data Integration: Support integrated data systems to share data between public health, health care, criminology, and community-based organizations. Data integration provides researchers and community with real-time data and metrics.
- Programming: Translate research to develop and coordinate a multi-level systems-based intervention for violence prevention and intervention in Nebraska.
- Education and Training: Expand the capacity of community organizations, the general public, and prevention specialists across Nebraska through education, training, and outreach.
- Community Engagement: Increase partnerships and engagement across public health system in Nebraska.
- Policy Promotion: Analyze existing and pending policies relevant to the goals of NeCVIP at the federal, state, and local levels, and promote a public health approach to violence prevention.
The NeCVIP Team includes UNMC/Nebraska Medicine's Dr. Charity Evans, MD, MHCM, FACS, Jennifer Burt, Ph.D., Ashley Farrens, MSN, MBA, RN, and Ashley (Raposo) Campbell, MPH, with UNO SCCJ's Tara Richards, Ph.D., Lane Gillespie, Ph.D., Mark Foxall, Ph.D., and Gaylene Armstrong, Ph.D.. SCCJ graduate students Liz Mavis and Carisma Jano also provide research assistance.
ENCOMPASS Omaha
With generous funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (15BJA-24-GG-03108-CVIP), NeCVIP supports the work of ENCOMPASS (Engaging Networks with the Community of Omaha to Maintain and Promote a Safe Society), a hospital-based violence intervention program located at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine. It is 1 of 51 programs across the United States that offers intensive case management to victims of violence (e.g. gunshot wound, stabbing, assault). Through ENCOMPASS, Violence Intervention Specialists serve as credible messengers who begin by building trust and relationships upon an eligible patient's hospital admission for injuries; mental health specialists screen victims for post-traumatic distress and substance use disorder; and social workers begin long-term intensive case management services inpatient, which are extended into the outpatient environment.
Ongoing research and evaluation efforts ensure that ENCOMPASS is meeting its goals and objectives including wholistically addressing patient's needs, reducing reinjury, and decreasing criminal justice system contacts. Products from the Teams' evaluation efforts can be found below.
- Medicaid Advocacy and Hospital Based Violence Intervention: A Mixed Methods Analysis, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, 2025
- Examining a Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program in Omaha, NE: A Mixed-Methods Approach, presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Society of Criminal Justice, 2024
- Assessing Risk Factors for Victims of Violence in a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program, published in Trauma Care, 3, 308-320, 2023.
- Baseline Needs Assessment for a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program 1-Year Pilot, published in Trauma Care, 2, 373-380, 2022.
For more information on ENCOMPASS, please email:
ENCOMPASS in the News!
Omaha World Herald: Gun Violence takes heavy, hidden toll-upending the lives in Omaha and Across Nebraska (April 2, 2023).
KETV Omaha: Omaha police Chief Todd Schmaderer redeploying resources to get gun violence 'spike' under control (August 18, 2022).
Omaha World Herald: Nebraska Medicine's ENCOMPASS program helps victims of violence (May 31, 2022).
University of Nebraska Medical Center: ENCOMPASS Omaha works to provide a new direction (June 30, 2021).