Hospitals Against Violence Partnerships & Coalitions

AHA Information about Partnerships and Coalitions

• Podcast: University of Vermont Medical Center, June 2017: Speaker: Sister Patricia McKittrick, Community Health Improvement Coordinator. Sister Pat shares how University of Vermont Medical Center is building community and social cohesion through their Peace Initiative to address hidden forms of violence in their community such as domestic violence and human trafficking.
• Podcast: Advocate Christ Medical Center, June 2017: Speakers: James Doherty, MD, director of trauma surger; Wendell Oman, vice president of mission and spiritual care; Kelly Guglielmi, MD, Chief Medical Officer. Violence has been a community health concern for Advocate Christ Medical Center, located on the southwest side of Chicago. The hospital’s violence prevention work grew out of trauma center requirements, but it has evolved to become a central element of the organization. The hospital was an initial partner of CeaseFire, which applies a public health model to interrupting violence, using a person’s entrance to the hospital as an impetus for intervention. Starting with the hospital’s local community, efforts have grown and evolved over time, and violence prevention has become an integral part of Advocate Christ, with organization buy-in from all levels. Notably, the entire medical staff decided to support the hospital’s violence prevention efforts.
• Podcast: Sinai Hospital - LifeBridge Health, June 2017: Speakers: Lane Levine, population health project manager; Darleen Won, assistant vice president, population health; Beth Huber, manager; Ademola Ekulona, program director, Kujichagulia Center. Located in Baltimore, Sinai Hospital has focused efforts on the social and economic determinants of violence through its Kujichagulia Center; “kujichagulia” means self-determination in Swahili. The center provides development and violence prevention services to youth in their communities, including education and vocational training to help them escape the cycle of violence. Recognizing that violence occurs in the social context of a community, Sinai focuses on medically treating the victim as well as assessing the situation outside of the hospital, trying to quell the dispute that led to the violence and connecting the victim with resources and social support to prevent further incidents.
• Webinar: Combating Violence using Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs, May 31, 2017: Hear how hospitals and health systems can help to combat community violence using Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs).
• AHA Community Connections. The case studies on this page demonstrate the many ways hospitals meet their communities’ needs - from free medications and screenings to fostering safety and improving quality of life.
• AHA Community Connections - Reducing Violence in Our Communities. This Community Connections resource contains a sampling of case examples that illustrate the many ways in which hospitals are leading and engaging in innovative and replicable community outreach programs that focus on violence prevention.
• Need for Increased Focus on Mental Health and Community Collaboration, AHA STAT Blog by Rick Pollack, January 8, 2016. Hospital leaders know all too well that mental illness is too common in every community. It causes suffering in the adults and children affected and their families, and it has a significant economic and social impact. Treatment works, but the stigma often associated with behavioral health disorders keeps people from getting the care they need. With local collaboration involving public health, law enforcement and other community-based groups, the hospital family can play a central role in building understanding and awareness and increasing access to behavioral health services.

National Organizations & Coalitions

• American Association of Family Physicians Violence Prevention Resources
• American College of Emergency Physicians, Resources and Papers on Violence in hospital and community Setting
• American Medical Association policy to bolster safety for health care workers
• American Psychiatric Association, Suicide Prevention Resources, Violence Intervention Resources
• Cure Violence is a teaching, training, research and assessment NGO focused on a health approach to violence prevention. The Cure Violence health model is used by more than 50 cities and organizations in the U.S., as well as eight countries ranging from Canada to South Africa to Syria. Cities and organizations implementing the Cure Violence health model regularly experience reductions in violence within the first year ranging from 40-70% and greater reductions in subsequent years.
• National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse  (NHCVA) is comprised of more than 30 national professional health associations, dedicated to reducing and addressing the health consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and abuse.
• National Association of County and City Health Officers (NACCHO) Injury and Violence Prevention Projects
• National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, Stay Safe on the Job
• National Association of Social Workers
• National Black Caucus of State Legislators, Studying The Causes of Violence and Violent Crime
• National Governors Association, Jeffrey Locke, Jlocke@NGA.org
• National Network of Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program’s  (NNHVIP) mission is to strengthen existing hospital-based violence intervention programs and help develop similar programs in communities across the country. The programs are dedicated to engaging patients during the window of opportunity when they are recovering in the hospital after a violent injury, to reduce the chance of retaliation and recurrence. NNHVIP serves as a technical assistance clearinghouse for hospital-based violence intervention programs, which would be an excellent resources for our membership. 
• Safe States Alliance is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and professional association whose mission is to strengthen the practice of injury and violence prevention and be the recognized leader and driving force in understanding and preventing injuries and violence. Safe States members work in a variety of public health settings, including federal, state, and local government agencies; hospitals; non-profit organizations; and colleges and universities. Members specialize in a variety of areas, including program coordination, management, data analysis, and public policy.
• Society of Trauma Nurses, Steven Woods, Rn, BSN, MBA, Injury Prevention Resources

Domestic and Family Abuse

• American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence
• Coalition for Juvenile Justice
• Major League Baseball Domestic Violence Policy
• National Association of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Family Violence and Domestic Relations Resources
• National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health  provides training, support, and consultation to advocates, mental health and substance abuse providers, legal professionals, and policymakers as they work to improve agency and systems-level responses to survivors and their children.
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Natalie Martinez, Program Manager
• National Football League “No More” Campaign
• National Network to End Domestic Violence Julie Colpitts, Coalition Capacity Deputy Director
• The National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities, a project of Casa de Esperanza, is the national institute on domestic violence focusing on Latin@ communities. We produce practical publications and tools for the field, disseminate relevant, up-to-date information and facilitate an online learning community that supports practitioners, policy makers and researchers who are working to end domestic violence.
• The Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community  (IDVAAC) is an organization focused on the unique circumstances of members of the African Diaspora as they face issues related to domestic violence – including intimate partner violence, child abuse, elder maltreatment, and community violence.

Community Coalitions and Interventions

• Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Gun Violence Prevention, Bishop's Deputy. Articles, information and podcasts
• Everytown for Gun Safety
• National Hockey League Violence Prevention Initiatives
• National Basketball Association Taking Steps To Help Stop Violence In Local Communities
• National Network for Safe Communities, Tom Hurley, Senior Project Manager
• National Urban League, Strategies For Reducing Gun Violence In American Cities
• U.S. Conference of Mayors, 21st Century Policing, Laura DeKoven Waxman, Director of Public Safety, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, lwaxman@usmayors.org

Youth Violence Prevention – Bullying and Harassment Resources

• Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO), Preventing Violence Against Children and Youth
• Boys and Girls Clubs of American, Health and Life Skills Programs
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network Resources
• National Education Association, Bully Free Campaign
• National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention
• National Parent Teacher Association, Violence Prevention for Students, Heather Parker, Senior Manager, Health and Safety

Elder Abuse

• National Committee on Prevention of Elder Abuse

AHA Members in Action

• VIDEO: Hospital Leaders Hope New Ambulatory Center will Help Heal Violence-plagued Chicago Neighborhood. St. Bernard Hospital's new facility aims to be more than just a center for care. H&HN Magazine, June 10, 2016.