Building Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) Capacity in High-Need PA Jurisdictions

An estimated 1,900 Pennsylvanians die each year from gun violence, with even more injured survivors. Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs), as part of a community violence intervention (CVI) ecosystem, provide integrated, trauma-informed care to prevent cycles of violence and reinjury, with research showing they can reduce future violence and crime, benefiting individuals and communities. An analysis of county-level gun violence data, recent research on non-fatal firearm injuries, and the availability of HVIPs reveals that, despite recent investments by the Commonwealth in HVIP and CVI infrastructure significant gaps and disparities in access to these lifesaving programs persist in many historically underserved PA communities. With this need and opportunity in mind, the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) is partnering on this project with The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI) and WestEd’s Justice & Prevention Research Center (JPRC). Grant funds will be used to expand evidence-based HVIP program models in at least two local PA jurisdictions with high and increasing gun violence rates, currently underserved by HVIPs. PA’s proposed project would provide funding and training/technical assistance (TTA) supports for selected local HVIP sites as well as statewide TTA through a new HVIP Community of Practice. A state-level HVIP/CVIPI working group will oversee the project, providing updates to state leadership and exploring sustainable funding and policy recommendations to create a blueprint for supporting and sustaining HVIPs through policy and funding levers.