APTR Urges Congress to Fund Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs

APTR joined other leading health care, medical, and public health organizations to urge Congress to provide funding to support hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) and other community violence interventions. These multidisciplinary programs aim to help break the cycle of violence, including the nation’s gun violence epidemic, by connecting patients at risk of experiencing or perpetrating violent injury with key hospital, community- based, and case management services to prevent repeat injury and retaliatory violence.

Violence, including injury and deaths from firearms, is a major public health problem in the United States. In collaboration with community partners, HVIPs initiate trauma-informed interventions within the hospital setting as patients recover and follow up with long-term services such as counseling, job training, mentoring, home visits, and other assistance. By addressing some of the social determinants of health and specific risk factors associated with violent injury, HVIPs have been successful in reducing future violence and lowering health care costs.

There is currently no dedicated federal funding stream to support such effective programming. President Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget requests $100 million for the CDC to implement intervention programs to address the causes of violence and reduce health inequities. The request is in addition to a proposal in the American Jobs Plan to invest $5 billion over eight years to support community violence intervention programs, including those in hospital settings.

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