Program Timeline
- 1984 - The Center for the Vulnerable Child was established in 1984 at LAC+USC Medical Center to evaluate and treat child victims of abuse and neglect. In 2003, the CVC was renamed the Everychild Foundation Center for the Vulnerable Child in recognition of a generous grant from the Everychild Foundation. Children’s forensic, medical and mental health care are provided by this comprehensive children’s program.
- 1995 - The Sexual Assault Center was created due to frequent requests from law enforcement and the legal system to evaluate non-pediatric victims of sexual assault. The center provides forensic evaluations to approximately 75 adolescent and women every month.
- 1995 - A new entity was formed called the Violence Intervention Program (VIP). The VIP became the umbrella organization for the child abuse program, sexual assault center and all future programs.
- 1996 - A 24-Hour Domestic Violence Response Team was established because many of the women seen in the SAC were also impacted by domestic violence. Trained domestic violence advocates respond 24 hours a day to calls from outpatient and inpatient departments of LAC+USC Medical Center including the emergency departments.
- 1997 - The Community Mental Health Center was established as a hospital-based center providing bilingual and multicultural mental health services to victims of family violence and sexual assault.
- 1999 - The Adult Protection Team (APT) was developed as the first hospital-based multidisciplinary team in Los Angeles County that focuses on elder and dependent adult abuse by providing medical assessments and appropriate interventions. APT is located in the LAC+USC Medical Center outpatient department.
- 2001 - The VIP incorporated the Community Mental Health Center into an affiliated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, known as the VIP Community Mental Health Center, Inc. (VIP CMHC). The VIP CMHC provides child victims and non-offending family members with crisis intervention, clinical assessments, individual, family and group therapy, mentoring, tutoring, case management and advocacy. In 2005, the VIP CMHC added a prevention program for high-risk teens that aims to break the cycle of domestic violence.
- 2004 - The Community-Based Assessment and Treatment Center (CATC) opened in 2004 to provide ongoing medical services, case management, development assessments and mental health services to foster care youth. The CATC primarily serves children 0-18 years old under supervision of the Department of Children and Family Services. The CATC is located in North Hall.
- 2006 - Established in January 2006, the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center (LACEAFC) is a multidisciplinary team of professionals that protects vulnerable elders and dependent adults from abuse and neglect. The LACEAFC provides expert and comprehensive case examination, documentation, consultation and prosecution of elder and dependent adult abuse cases throughout Los Angeles County.
- 2007 - VIP opens The Santana House, a newly renovated building on the VIP campus that houses the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center, Department of Children and Family Services Emergency Response Command Post and additional VIP Community Mental Health Center services including the Youth Action Center.
- 2007-2008 – VIP begins a capital campaign to renovate the LAC+USC Outpatient Department and establish the first “Forensic Urgent Care Center” in the United States.
