1984 - The Center for the Vulnerable Child (CVC) is established at LAC+USC Medical Center to provide forensic, medical and mental health care to child victims of abuse and neglect. In 2003, the CVC was named the Everychild Foundation Center for the Vulnerable Child in recognition of a generous grant from the Everychild Foundation.
1995 - The Sexual Assault Center is created in response to frequent requests from law enforcement and the legal system to evaluate non-pediatric victims of sexual assault. Teens and adults are offered the same services that have been provided to children in a safe and less traumatizing environment than the emergency rooms at the general hospital. That same year, the Violence Intervention Program (VIP) is formed to serve as the umbrella organization for the child abuse program, sexual assault center and all future programs.
1996 - A 24-Hour Domestic Violence Response Team begins providing round-the-clock crisis intervention and advocacy to victims of domestic violence who are seen at LAC+USC Medical Center including the emergency departments, helping them navigate through medical and legal issues, social services and helping them identify a safety plan for themselves and their children. The team also provides training to Medical Center healthcare professionals and medical students in recognizing the signs of domestic violence.
1999 - The Adult Protection Team (APT) is launched 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 for victims of abuse and neglect.
2001 - The VIP Community Mental Health Center, Inc. (VIP CMHC) is incorporated as an exempt 501(c)3 non-profit organization, to provide 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 works with partners in the community and the school systems to break the cycle of domestic violence and empower teens to be advocates for themselves and their peers.
2003 – VIP undertakes its first capital campaign to renovate a 1930s building owned by the County of Los Angeles adjacent to the Medical Center. With a generous gift from the S. Mark Taper Foundation, as well as many other benefactors, the Taper Family Advocacy Center is opened and becomes the home to the VIP administrative offices and the VIP CMHC. The VIP CMHC is given room to serve more children and families as well as expand its services to include the onsite Sanders Family Education Center and the Nike Play Yard.
2004 - The Community-Based Assessment and Treatment Center (CATC) opens to provide ongoing medical services, case management, developmental assessments and mental health services to children in foster care. CATC was the first of the “HUBs”, a network of clinics throughout Los Angeles County aimed at better caring for child abuse victims and foster youth and providing them with consistent “healthcare homes.”
2006 - The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center (LACEAFC) was created as a multidisciplinary team of medical, mental health, social service, legal and law enforcement 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 completes its second successful capital campaign and opens The Santana House, a newly renovated building adjacent to the Taper Center to house the LACEAFC, additional VIP CMHC offices including an Occupational Therapy program, and the Santana House Youth Action Center, home to VIP’s teen prevention and community outreach program.
2009 – After the successful renovation of a portion of the LAC+USC Medical Center Outpatient Department, VIP opens the Forensic Urgent Care Center, combining all VIP medical services in one holistic location. Medical and forensic services for children, which were previously divided in two separate clinics, are now located in one expanded, state-of-the-art space, referred to as the CATC-HUB, with triple the exam and consultation space, onsite offices for law enforcement, social services and crisis intervention. Immediately adjacent is the APT with more exam rooms to meet the growing population of elders and dependent adults in need of care.
