XXXX , drugs, and urban violence in a small city @entity130 center.

@entity1 @entity167 @entity734 @entity130
@entity734 and urban @entity130 go hand in hand. But research focuses on large cities served by major academic medical centers. Do small cities face the same problems? Two hundred thirty-three urban @entity130 inpatients from a metro area of 250,000 were studied using @entity1 interviews and medical records. As in large cities, one half used @entity167 or drugs when attacked. Seventy percent were likely to be young, male, poor African-Americans. Only 3% were gang members, but demographic characteristics failed to explain @entity734 as they have for larger cities. A culture of violence pervades the small city, as it does in large urban ghettos. Two fifths were repeat urban @entity130 victims. Two fifths witnessed assaults in the past year. One third carried a knife or gun. Fifteen percent used a weapon on another @entity1 in the last year. Contextual variables, like being hurt in a bar, were related to drinking and drugs. The best predictor of present @entity734 and urban @entity130 was medical history of @entity734 . The need for (a) toxicology screens for all @entity130 victims, (b) referrals to @entity734 programs, (c) targeting at-risk populations for prevention, and (d) eliminating environments fostering violence and @entity734 is supported.
