Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Hospital Approaches to Violence Prevention

When hospitals care for victims of violence, it provides a window of opportunity to interrupt the cycle of violence in a community. Several programs at the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore address primary and secondary violence prevention by helping victims and reducing risk factors. Promoting Healthy Alternatives for Teens is an after-school violence prevention program for at-risk youth. Programming includes using spoken word poetry to stimulate youths’ awareness of risk-taking behavior associated with violence and the consequences.  In the UMMC’s Violence Intervention Program, victims of violent injury receive counseling and social support while in the hospital. Staff members work with patients after discharge to create an individualized action plan to reduce risk factors of repeated violence. According to UMMC, VIP participants had an 83 percent decrease in repeat hospitalization and a 67 percent decrease in violent crime. UMMC recommends that hospitals assess and identify appropriate programs to meet community needs.

For more information, contact Ruth Adeola, program coordinator, violence and injury prevention, at radeola@umm.edu.

The HPOE guide "Hospital Approaches to Interrupt the Cycle of Violence" includes a model for hospital-based violence intervention programs that can reduce violence, save lives and decrease health care costs.