Utilization of a Hospital-Linked Violence Intervention Program to Provide Resources to Victims of Crime at a Level 1 Trauma Center

This proposal builds on an existing hospital violence intervention program (HVIP) at a Level I Trauma Center through the fulfillment of two goals: (1) to create a victim navigator position to connect families and friends of homicide victims (FFHV) to much needed support services and (2) to expand the existing HVIP, which focuses on victims of gunshot wounds who are risk of recidivism (hospital readmission), to include connecting victims of stabbing wounds who are at risk of recidivism with support services. This project is in collaboration with Rowan University, Cooper University Health Care, and Center for Family Services and will be evaluated by Metis Associates. The proposed project would utilize the trauma center as a portal to link FFHV to needed services in the community to address victims’ needs, and it would expand the current HVIP to connect more at risk victims to needed support services. The project will create a victim navigator position to the trauma center and additional support for case management at the Center for Family Services. The proposed project seeks to better understand the short and long term needs of FFHV, to expand the number of at risk patients served through the HVIP by including stabbing victims at risk, to reduce hospital recidivism of at risk patients, and to provide connections between patients in need to various support resources.