Encompass Omaha: A Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program

This project is a collaboration of the University of Nebraska at Omaha School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine/Nebraska Medicine leadership, and the City of Omaha. The collaborative proposes implementation and evaluation of a hospital-based violence intervention program, Encompass Omaha, that will serve victims of violent crime. ENCOMPASS OMAHA aims to reduce victim risk of violent reinjury, the risk of community violence through retaliatory violence, and the costs incurred by the public resulting from violent victimization. The program will initiate victim support services at Nebraska Medicine bedside upon hospital admission during the “teachable moment” of the violent victimization injury. Culturally competent, individualized support services and case management led by peer specialists will reduce violent victimization and violent reinjury through improved continuity of care and linkage of services. Victims will be connected to violence risk reduction resources in the community through collaborative efforts to city and community-based organizations that offer these services and receive long-term intensive case management. The program expects through providing victim services and case management, it will reduce the risk factors and offset other determinants of violence. This program will focus victim services in the Second District of Nebraska (i.e., Omaha) with individual victims who are violently injured and admitted to the local level 1 trauma center, Nebraska Medicine.