This report was compiled by members of the Injury Prevention Advisory Council Subcommittee on Violence. Its purpose is to present an overview of youth violence in Arizona, using data from the health care and criminal justice systems. Presenting both the health care and criminal justice perspectives presents a more comprehensive picture of youth violence and provides greater opportunities for developing solutions.

Since the release of the CDC’s recommendations to improve preconception health in 2006, the Arizona Department of Health Services and its partners across the state have made steady progress in improving awareness about preconception health and increasing access to preconception health services. The Bureau of Women’s and Children’s Health assessed internal programs serving women and children to identify opportunities for integrating preconception health education and services into program policies and procedures.