With a $4 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis advanced their efforts to fight gun violence across the state.
Davis, who serves as chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, announced the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative grant at Temple University Hospital, which runs a hospital-based violence intervention program, a model that PCCD will work to expand across the Commonwealth with the new federal funding.
“Gun violence isn’t just a Philadelphia problem — it’s a Pennsylvania problem and, uniquely, an American problem,” Davis said. “However, it’s a problem we can and must do something about, and the city of Philadelphia has been making great strides to combat the epidemic of gun violence by treating it like a public health crisis and working with local hospitals and health care providers to support victims and make our communities safer.”
HVIPs provide trauma-informed care and support to individuals who have experienced violent injury while they are in the hospital and work with community-based partners to provide immediate and longer-term services and support.
“The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which I have the privilege to lead, has supported the hospital-based violence intervention program here at Temple University Hospital with nearly $3 million in funding, and we are also providing financial support for Philadelphia’s recently launched HVIP Coalition,” Davis said. “Now, with this new federal grant, we can enhance and expand this strategy to even more communities across Pennsylvania.”
Research has shown that these programs can help prevent cycles of gun violence by reducing the likelihood of reinjury and retaliation.
“The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency was instrumental in helping us launch our hospital-based violence intervention program at Temple University Hospital back in 2019 with a Victim of Crime Act Grant and later with a Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant,” said Abhinav Rastogi, executive vice president of Temple University Health System and president and CEO of Temple University Hospital. “Now we are better able to serve the needs of violently injured patients with the addition of full-time trauma victim support advocates, case managers, therapists and a workforce development specialist, and have team members at the bedside to offer support the moment the patient enters the hospital.”
PCCD recently analyzed county-level data and found there were significant gaps in service where there are communities with high levels of gun violence that do not have access to HVIPs. This summer PCCD applied for and won the grant, which it will use to increase access to HVIPs and provide comprehensive support and training for existing and new programs.
“This funding opens the door for Pennsylvania neighborhoods to drive down gun violence through proven, public-health centered strategies that heal trauma, support our communities and save lives,” said Toni Rivera, managing director for the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention. “We are proud to help expand these programs, as well as provide training and technical assistance, to the communities in Pennsylvania that have historically been underserved. This is a holistic way to address gun violence, advance public safety, and build a brighter, more equitable future for all.”
This project will build on the significant investments Pennsylvania has made in the development and expansion of community-based violence intervention strategies, including HVIPs, in recent years. PCCD leveraged federal Victims of Crime Act funding to provide seed funding to HVIPs in Philadelphia and other communities experiencing high levels of gun violence and violent crime victimization.
