- In Louisville, Kentucky, “New Report Shows Decrease In Shootings, Homicides,” Mayor Credits Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program As Key. For WHAS11, Margaret Vancampen reports on Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg’s announcement that “shootings and homicides are down in the Metro by between 25% to 30%” and that “Pivot to Peace,” the city’s community and hospital-based violence intervention program that the mayor said has “led to a noticeable decrease in violence in areas where the program is active.”
The program, highlighted for its success in a new report published by the city’s Office of Violent Crime Prevention, “provides victims of stabbings and shootings with case workers and other community resources to both identify and address factors that put them at risk for violence.” The city’s full report from its Office of Violent Crime Prevention is worth reading, but here are the key findings:- Hospital-Based Intervention Reaches Survivors At The Most Critical Moment: Between 2024 and 2025, Pivot to Peace’s HVIP enrolled 85% of the “628 patients [who] presented at University of Louisville Hospital with a gunshot wound or stabbing injury.” Violence specialists and medical staff “provide immediate emotional support” and a “timely intervention [that] is key to breaking cycles of violence and offering hope during a period of intense vulnerability.”
- Comprehensive Support: The program delivers “mental health counseling… substance abuse treatment… legal assistance… and help with securing stable housing and employment” — a set of services “designed to tackle the various factors contributing to violence and instability in an individual’s life.”
- Long-Term Care That Builds Stability: The program’s impact is sustained through its “commitment to following up with long-term care,” with specialists offering “guidance, encouragement, and consistent access to resources.” This ongoing support helps individuals “navigate complex challenges, build resilience, and avoid falling back into violent behaviors” — ultimately enabling patients to “find stability and start to rebuild their lives.”
For WLKY News, Madison Elliot spoke with Janae Wright, a mother who works as a trauma specialist with the Office of Violence Prevention’s hospital-based violence intervention program, who explained to the news station that when a gunshot victim comes into the hospital, immediately “staff assesses [the] patient and tries to get to the root cause of the issue, so they don’t find themselves back at the hospital for the same reason… [and] try to prevent re-injury.” Wright understands the profound impact of gun violence personally and the life-changing importance of a program like Pivot To Peace, she detailed in the city’s report:
“[Janae’s] life changed in an instant one February night in 2021…. After a long shift at work, [she] was ambushed outside her home and shot six times during an attempted robbery, all while pregnant… she fought to survive not just for herself, but for her unborn son. Miraculously, both lived. The road to recovery was grueling—surgeries, physical limitations, and the emotional weight of near-death. But Janae endured… Janae [is] perfectly suited to support others [because]… she knows what it means to survive trauma… Her journey allows her to connect deeply with survivors… [and] offers proof that healing is possible…. ‘I encourage anyone who has survived or been impacted by gun violence to seek help… Know that you are not alone and that you too can come out of this on top.’”
- In Charleston, “The Medical University Of South Carolina Receives Grant To Support Its Violence Intervention Program. For WCSC, Maitane Orue reports on the new funding for the MUSC hospital-based violence intervention program, called Turning The Tides, that will fund the hospital’s “early intervention” effort, “one of the programs that has expanded in the last year.” The program “helps survivors with bedside support, referrals, wraparound services and long-term follow-up for individuals and families still at risk… [and] aims to keep participants safe and prevent them from experiencing violence again.” Christa Green, program director for the HVIP, explained to the news station that the early intervention program “screens [patients who arrive with gunshot wounds] for risk of firearm violence, and then [refers] patients [into the program’s services] who screen positive… if we know what puts someone at risk of experiencing violence, let’s not wait until they’ve been injured to intervene.”
- Mobile, Alabama Hospital-Based Program “Helps Break The Cycle Of Violent Crime While Helping Victims Heal.” For Fox10, Daeshen Smith reports on Mobile’s new hospital-based violence intervention program, called HALO—”a collaboration between the city, University Hospital and the Mobile County Health Department.” As physicians are providing the medical care the patient needs, the program also deploys a “violence intervention specialist … [to work with] gunshot victims right there in the hospital… to learn more about the situation [and] prevent things from escalating… [to] make sure they don’t become either another victim or a perpetrator of this type of violence.” As the patient recovers, the intervention specialists “identify any other needs the victims have including financial needs and help with transportation to and from follow up appointments…”