Funded originally in September, 2002, the Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) Program sought to add a significant prevention focus to the existing Coordinated Community Response model by funding state domestic violence coalitions who would act as intermediary organizations by providing prevention-focused training and technical assistance and funding to local communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Injury Prevention Center awarded 9 state domestic violence coalitions (SDVC), including the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, with a cooperative agreement. Five additional coalitions were awarded cooperative agreements in January, 2003. The DELTA cooperative agreement recipients are SDVC’s located in the following states: Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Twenty-five percent of each award provides funding for a state project coordinator to be hired by the SDVC along with administrative costs. Seventy-five percent of the award provides funding for local communities.

In April, 2003, the Ohio Domestic Violence Network published a Request for Proposals to local domestic violence agencies and non-profit organizations. Over 20 agencies responded and in August, 2003 four domestic violence agencies were infused with funding to be used strictly for primary prevention activities including coalition development, planning and implementation. The following organizations and counties were funded by ODVN to begin working on the DELTA Project:

• Abuse and Rape Crisis Shelter of Warren County – Cities of Franklin and Carlisle
• Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center – Lucas County
• New Directions – Knox County
• Tri-County Help Center – Belmont, Harrison, and Monroe Counties

To view Ohio Delta contact information please Click Here.

In March 2005, the Centers for Disease Control, National Injury Prevention Center announced the extension of the DELTA Program for three more years. The new funding cycle will seek to integrate prevention principles, concepts and practices into local Coordinated Community Responses (CCRs) that address intimate partner violence (IPV) such that the incidence of IPV (i.e., number of new cases) is reduced. These prevention principles, concepts and practices include the following:

• Preventing first-time perpetration and first-time victimization,
• Reducing vulnerability/risk-factors associated with IPV perpetration and victimization,
• Promoting protective-factors that reduce the likelihood of IPV perpetration or victimization,
• Evidence-based prevention program planning,
• Use of behavior and social change theories in prevention program planning,
• Addressing all levels of the social ecology (i.e., individual, relationship, community, and society) in prevention program planning and evaluation,
• Evaluating prevention programs and activities and using results to inform future prevention plans, programs, and activities.

DELTA has been classified as an intimate partner violence project emphasizing intimate partner domestic violence (IP-DV). IP-DV is where one partner in an intimate relationship uses physical violence, sexual violence, threats of physical or sexual violence, psychological/emotional abuse, stalking and/or economic abuse to establish a pattern of coercive power and control over his/her intimate partner. Intimate partners include current spouses, former spouses, current non-marital partners and former non-marital partners. Common-law spouses are included under the spouse term and first dates and long-term boyfriend and girlfriend relationships are included under the term non-marital partners. The intimate partners may not have cohabitated or had sexual relations. People with a child in common but who are not currently in a relationship are classified as intimate partners. Intimate partners may be of the same-sex or opposite sex. This definition of an intimate partner is derived from Intimate Partner Violence Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data Elements (Saltzman, Fanslow, McMahon, & Shelley, 1999) published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Generally intimate partnerships are considered to apply to adolescents and adults aged 14 and over. However, this age may be lowered depending on local circumstances. IP-DV knows no boundaries. It is not isolated to a particular class or racial, cultural or religious group. It can be found in any class or racial, cultural or religious group.

To learn more, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage on DELTA at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/DELTA/default.htm