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NEWS FROM CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE

April 18, 2007

Experts, Victims, and Government Officials Gather for Victim Rights Conference While Nation Grapples with Tragedy in Virginia

2007 Victim Rights Conference: Voices United in Action And Accompanying New Initiative: Violence Transformed

Cambridge, Boston, MA….Participate in National Victim Rights Week (April 22-28) by attending the annual Victim Rights Conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA) and the Victim and Witness Assistance Board (chaired by Attorney General Martha Coakley). The conference will honor leaders in the field and highlight the critical need for coordinated community responses to violence. This is particularly timely given the devastating impact seen daily of violence in our homes, schools, and on the streets.

A new initiative will be launched at the annual conference and will be on view for the public: Violence Transformed, a week-long art exhibit examining the transformative power of art. The exhibit is a collaborative effort between MOVA, the Victims of Violence (VOV) Program of Cambridge Health Alliance, and multiple community organizations and artists. Immediately following the Victim Rights Conference, Violence Transformed will host an evening program of music, dance, and performance art in the State House.

The Victim Rights Conference is Thursday, April 26, while the Violence Transformed exhibit is ongoing all week, April 23-27. Both events - the conference and the art exhibit - are free and open to the public with registration strongly urged for those who wish to attend the conference.

WHO: Governor Deval Patrick
Lt. Governor Tim Murray
First Lady Diane Patrick
Attorney General Martha Coakley
Victim/Survivor Yoko Kato
Victim/Survivor Evelyn Tobin
Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett
Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz
MOVA Executive Director Janet E. Fine
Worcester Intervention Network (WIN) Community Collaboration

WHEN: Thursday, April 26
Victim Rights Conference 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Violence Transformed Performances 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm

WHERE: Victim Rights Conference
State House, Gardner Auditorium
Boston

Violence Transformed
State House, Doric Hall and Great Hall
Boston

Please Note: MOVA Executive Director Janet E. Fine and Board members Attorney General Martha Coakley, District Attorney Tim Cruz, District Attorney Jon Blodgett, Yoko Kato, and Evelyn Tobin will be available for interviews. Cambridge Health Alliance's Dr. Mary Harvey, of the Victims of Violence program, and one of the organizers of Violence Transformed, will also be available for interviews.

The Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA) is an independent state agency devoted to upholding and advancing the rights of crime victims. We strive to provide innovative victim advocacy through outreach and education, policy and program development, direct service, legislative advocacy, and grants management. Our commitment lies in reaching all victims, while ensuring access and equity of rights and services to underserved communities. By bridging public, private and community organizations, we work to serve crime victims, their families, and witnesses to violence, while promoting healing and justice. http://www.mass.gov/mova/

Cambridge Health Alliance is a regional healthcare system with three hospitals and more than twenty primary care practices in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston's metro-North communities. As a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Health Alliance offers medical residency/training programs and undergraduate learning experiences in hospital and community settings. Cambridge Health Alliance also includes the Cambridge Public Health Department, CHA Physicians Organization (CHAPO), and Network Health, a managed Medicaid plan.