NEW MEXICO SEXUAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION - The New Mexico Department of Health Sexual Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) began collecting data in 2009. The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is responding to the current Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement: CDC-RFA-CD-24-0027 to continue to collaborate with and assist community contractors in primary prevention of sexual violence. With funding from the CDC, NMDOH and the SVPP can continue to provide vital education and prevention services through sexual violence educators and evidence-based or evidence-supported sexual assault primary prevention programs. New Mexico rates of youth who reported being sexually assaulted have increased from 9.9 percent in 2017 to 11.9 percent in 2022. The New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey was used to gather this information from New Mexico youth ages 9 to 17, who reported being assaulted in the last 12 months. NMDOH continues to focus on understanding the prevalence of sexual violence in New Mexico as well as the populations disproportionately affected. NMDOH continues to work with communities to address health equity issues in sexual violence to support prevention work and foster collaborations to create a statewide team to approach sexual violence prevention. Through data collected through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) NMDOH has been able to identify regions with higher rates of sexual violence, and based on this information, NMDOH has contracted with providers of sexual assault prevention to provide services to these regions. The data has also helped to identify populations more vulnerable to sexual violence, including LGBTQ, people living with disabilities, foreign-born people, Hispanic Americans, children, Native Americans, and African Americans. NMDOH continues to concentrate its efforts on marginalized populations through its programming and policy work. The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is seeking initial and ongoing financial support in the amount of $348,905.00 annually to continue collaboration with communities on sexual violence prevention in New Mexico by continuing to build strong partnerships and relationships with sexual violence prevention teams and the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs Inc. During the 2024-2029 grant period, the NMDOH and SVPP will focus on continuing to build strong partnerships and networks among sexual violence prevention and education teams. Through collaboration and continued focus, the NMDOH and SVPP will work on key areas outlined by the CDC for this funding cycle, including building infrastructure for SV prevention; develop/enhance a state/territory action plan; implement community and societal-level SV prevention strategies that promote health equity; and utilize data to inform action. The opportunities that the NMDOH SVPP program and the partnerships and networks will continue to identify and address sexual violence in communities and will be leveraged collaboratively in 2024-2029 to support sexual violence prevention partners in reducing the high rates of sexual violence in New Mexico.
