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Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program

Our Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) fosters partnerships and collaborations between hospital providers and community-based organizations to advance trauma informed services for victims of violence at Saint Francis Hospital.

Our HVIP Specialists are deeply passionate about supporting individuals affected by violence. As trained Community Health Workers, they have a strong understanding of the unique challenges faced by the community we serve. Their dedication to this work is driven by personal experiences with violence, giving them a profound connection to the people they help.

In their roles, HVIP Specialists act as primary liaisons between Emergency Department providers, staff, trauma teams, and the patients they care for. They collaborate with Saint Francis staff to ensure patients are connected with Community Partners who can intervene at the bedside, offering essential resources and opportunities for a better future. HVIP Specialists coordinate care plans, working closely with ED providers, Case Management, Community Partners, and families to address social care barriers, advocate for services, and ensure proper follow-up care after discharge.
 

Here’s who are trusted partners are:

  1. The Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center (GHFAC) at Saint Francis Hospital is a hospital-based organization whose mission is to promote healing and recovery from trauma related to various forms of violence. The GHFAC is a safe place where children and adults who are suspected victims of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence can get the support and treatment they need. A team of trained professionals provide a continuum of trauma informed services to support victims of violence and their families.
  2. Hartford Communities That Care (HCTC) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3), community-based organization founded in 1998, whose mission is to create a thriving, non-violent and drug-free environment for youth and families. As a leader and advocate for victims of violence and trauma in underserved communities, HCTC identifies, develops and implements culturally appropriate, high quality and evidence-based crisis response, mental health and supportive programs, partnerships and policies to improve the lives of youth and adult victims of crime and their families.
  3. COMPASS Youth Collaborative, Peacebuilders connects with high-risk youth wherever they are in the City of Hartford. We engage them in relationships to provide support and opportunities that help them become ready, willing and able to succeed in education, employment and life. For more than 25 years, COMPASS Youth Collaborative has supported and mentored thousands of Hartford’s at-risk youth, helping them overcome obstacles, solve problems and forge a path to success. What began as a drop-in center, established by seven local teenagers looking for a safe place to hang out, has grown into a $3.5 million agency reaching hundreds of youths every year.
     

Services and Referrals Include: 

  • Victims' assistance coordination with the Office of Victim’s Services (OVS) 
  • Victim advocacy 
  • Mental health services 
  • Referrals and coordination with community-based agencies for legal advocacy 
  • Coordination with other hospital-based programs for food insecurity and basic need

Saint Francis Hospital Awarded for its Hospital Violence Intervention Program

Saint Francis Hospital was awarded the 2023 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award by the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), in recognition of its Hospital Violence Intervention Program (HVIP). The annual award, presented jointly by CHA and DPH, recognizes a Connecticut hospital or health care system that has made an outstanding contribution to its community.

Saint Francis was presented with the prestigious award by DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, M.D. at the 2023 CHA Annual Meeting that took place on June 15, 2023 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville.

SFH Violence Prevention Team“We are so proud that Saint Francis Hospital’s Violence Intervention Program has been recognized by Connecticut Hospital Association and the Department of Public Health, and we thank them both for this honor” said Thomas Burke, BPharm, MBA, President, Saint Francis Hospital. “We also express extreme gratitude to our outstanding community partners, who are integral to the success of the program. The incredible work done by the Hospital Violence Intervention team displays their dedication to providing transformative, healing care to our community. Being recognized for our ability to provide a caring, skilled, collaborative approach to each patient’s individual needs and the needs of their loved ones, no matter their circumstance, is a testament to our commitment to serving our patients with compassion, kindness, and professionalism.”

“CHA is honored to be joined by DPH in presenting this award in recognition of the work done by Saint Francis Hospital’s HVIP in fostering partnerships and collaborations between hospital providers and community-based organizations to advance trauma informed services for victims of violence,” said Jennifer Jackson, CEO, CHA. “What stood out to the judges about this project was the collaborative approach to providing care and wrap around services to treat the whole person and their family. Congratulations to Saint Francis Hospital and their dedicated team. Their work is saving lives every day.”

The HVIP at Saint Francis began in 2004 as a partnership with a local community-based organization to support wrap around care for victims of violence to ensure social care needs are met when patients are discharged into the community.