
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania has won a competitive $4 million federal grant for violence prevention programs that happen inside hospitals.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis made the announcement at Temple University Hospital — a pioneer in including violence prevention as part of its care for gunshot victims.
“This model has been proven to reduce violence and save lives by intervening at a critical moment,” Davis said.
Philadelphia’s public safety director Adam Geer says that when a shooting victim is being treated at the hospital and loved ones are visiting, there’s a crucial opportunity to prevent further violence.
“There’s a very real thing of retribution in our communities—and to be able to intervene for those co-victims, to be able to deal with some of their trauma and identify—that might throw some cold water on a situation and prevent a [loss of] life in the community,” Geer said.
Temple’s program, for instance, includes crisis responders, who meet victims when they arrive at the hospital and follow them through recovery and even after discharge. There are case managers, therapists and workforce development specialists who help victims regain stability after their trauma, preventing a cycle of violence from developing.
It may seem obvious now, but it was groundbreaking, nearly 20 years ago, when Temple began incorporating prevention and intervention into treatment.
“Shootings can propel a victim down the wrong path but it can also serve as the thing that moves them toward the right path with the necessary amount of guidance, opportunity and unconditional love,” said Scott Charles, who heads the program.
Charles, says Temple treats the largest number of gunshot victims in the state, but the number has decreased nearly 40% since this time last year.
“We obviously have a long way to go but Temple and its hospital-based violence intervention program are still very much dedicated to putting ourselves out of business.”
The grant will help fund and expand such programs and create new ones.