Virginia hospitals receive $8.5 million in grants for violence intervention programming

Virginia hospitals that provide wraparound services and care for violently injured people will receive millions in grant funding for the next two years to support their programs, officials announced this week. 

Hospital-based violence intervention programs bring trauma-informed care and resources to patients in the hospital while they are recovering physically from violence-induced injuries. 

The logic is that bringing such care to patients, rather than waiting for them to seek it, can help them stay connected with resources and safety when they leave the hospital. 

The $8.5 million dollar funding stems from Virginia’s Department of Criminal Justice Services. It was awarded to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association’s VHHA Foundation, which will support the staff positions and work of 12 programs around the state. 

“We are grateful to DCJS for the continued support of these impactful hospital programs that help improve lives by advancing the important work of caring for survivors of violence with compassion and support on their journey towards healing,” said VHHA president and CEO Sean Connaughton in a release announcing the new grant award. 

The concept of hospital-based intervention programs have been around for at least 20 years nationwide. The goal is to prevent victims of interpersonal violence like shootings, stabbings and other forms of assault from re-injury or perpetrating violence themselves.

While receiving medical care for physical injuries, victims are connected to counseling, case management or other community resources. 

Since 2019, more than 8,000 victims of violence have been served, VHHA relayed. The association estimated that over $82 million in health care costs have also been avoided due to preventing and reducing re-injury rates. About $41 million of that is estimated to be direct savings to the state.

Hospitals are required to treat people regardless of whether they can pay their medical bills. This means that the costs of care for people who come to emergency rooms for illness or injury who are under- or uninsured, eventually get passed off onto other consumers. 

Several health systems in Virginia operate intervention programs to include Bon Secours Southside Medical Center in Petersburg, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Ballad Health’s Johnston Memorial Hospital, Riverside Regional Medical Center, VCU Health, and Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. 

UVA Health University Medical Center is planning to launch its own program by the end of this year and hosted a summit in Charlottesville Thursday with area nonprofits to strategize violence prevention and the forthcoming program’s role in it.

This article first appeared on Virginia Mercury and is republished here with permission. Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence.