Reading Hospital - Tower Health recently received a $193,078 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to implement a hospital-based violence intervention program (HVIP) and provide community education and resources to help prevent gun violence. The Hospital will hire and train a Trauma Violence Recovery Specialist, who will provide support, case management, and referral services to hospitalized victims of community violence. The Specialist will also be responsible for purchasing the necessary equipment and operating supplies required to implement programming while supporting staff participation in violence intervention program-related conferences and education.
Charles F. Barbera, MD, Reading Hospital President and CEO, said, “This grant will help us save lives, while helping our patients recover. In implementing our hospital-based violence intervention program, we anticipate reducing the overall incidence of gun violence, injury, and retaliatory violence. We also hope to see a decline in the number of patients who are victims of violent injury.”
HVIPs provide direct services to violently injured individuals and their families, while taking a public health approach to violence prevention by focusing on the safety, well-being, and health of the entire community. Data indicates that victims of violence often face an elevated risk of reinjury or engagement in retaliatory violence. HVIPs provide targeted services to high-risk populations and work to identify and help reduce risk factors, such as substance misuse, unemployment, and lack of schooling, while promoting protective factors, such as enhancing social support and increasing educational attainment. The Trauma Violence Recovery Specialist will meet with violently injured patients bedside, at Reading Hospital, or soon after discharge from the Emergency Department.
“The Violence Recovery Specialist will play a critical role in the recovery of this patient population,” said Desha Dickson, Tower Health Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Wellness. “This individual will break down barriers through shared experiences, and be responsible for assessing the current needs of each patient based on their unique circumstances. The Specialist will then help set goals while generating awareness of potential opportunities available to them, including medical coverage, compensation, housing stability, education and support for career goals.”
The Specialist will be familiar with the City of Reading community and trained in crisis intervention, mentoring, home visits, follow-up assistance, and long-term case management and maintain connections to the existing network of community-based services. The grant funding will also ensure Reading Hospital can work with local community partners such as the Pennsylvania State Police and The Village of Reading to continue “Stop the Bleed” training for local youth and community members.
“Guns are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.,” said Christopher Valente, MD, Chief, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Reading Hospital. “Earlier this year, all Tower Health hospitals, including Reading Hospital, partnered with other health systems across the region to help protect children from gun violence through education and safety efforts.” The campaign, “It Doesn’t Kill to Ask,” focuses on providing caregivers, parents, and community members the tools to speak up about safe gun storage and empowers them to ask other parents about gun access in the home. Dr. Valente continued, “I’m glad this grant will align with the goals of the ‘It Doesn’t Kill to Ask’ initiative by hosting gun safety education events in our community and distributing gun locks to keep everyone safe from gun violence.”
With June being Gun Violence Awareness Month, Reading Hospital acknowledges the profound impact that gun violence has on the community. Gun violence is a true public health crisis that affects countless individuals and families across the country. Reading Hospital encourages individuals to learn about the risks associated with gun violence, to support evidence-based prevention programs, and to work together to create a safer and healthier community.
About Reading Hospital
Reading Hospital is the flagship, Magnet Recognized, acute care hospital of Tower Health. Located in West Reading, Pa., Reading Hospital is a 697-bed hospital that is home to many top-tier specialty care centers, including Reading HealthPlex, McGlinn Cancer Institute, Miller Regional Heart Center, Emergency Department, Level I Trauma Center and Beginnings Maternity Center, which houses the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). With more than 1,000 physicians, specialists, and advanced practice providers across 49 locations, Reading Hospital has been recognized for its quality outcomes and clinical expertise across service lines. It is listed as one of America's 100 Best Hospitals for four consecutive years (and moving up to America’s 50 Best Hospitals in 2022) and received a 5-Star Rating from CMS two years in a row. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.