How Treating Violence As A Disease Could Be Effective At Curing Epidemic

Homicide is the leading cause of death for African-American men aged 15 to 34 in the United States. It's the third-leading cause for all men in that age group, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In recent years, there’s been a shift in many communities toward treating violence as a disease, and employing tried-and-true public health methods as treatment. And recent studies show it’s working.

Dr. Gary Slutkin is a physician and infectious disease control specialist at the University of Illinois Chicago. He's also founder and executive director of Cure Violence, a not-for-profit whose goal is to employ public health methods to curb violence in Chicago and around the country. Slutkin (@GSlutkin) joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss his work.

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