Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program
HVIP at Saint Francis Hospital
The HVIP program at Saint Francis Hospital 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.
Saint Francis has since evolved the program to include stronger coordination of services and support by embedding an HVIP specialist, who is also certified as a Community Health Worker, within the emergency department to be the liaison between emergency department staff and families. With the inclusion of a dedicated staff member, Saint Francis has been able to address unconscious bias in care and help build greater trust between patients and their providers.
Learn more about the Saint Francis HVIP by watching the award presentation video here.
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
Community Partners
The HVIP program proudly partners with various community organizations, including COMPASS Youth Collaborative, Hartford Communities That Care, Mother’s United Against Violence, and ROCA.