The New Jersey Office of Attorney General awarded $866,396 to the Foundation for University Hospital to maintain and expand our Hospital Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) which provides critical resources and intervention services for victims of crime treated by University Hospital.  HVIP services are coordinated through UH’s Department of Community and Population Health. Program partners include Urban League of Essex County, Newark Community Solutions and New Community Street Team.

All HVIP patients are victims of violence and are treated for injuries from gun violence, gang related violence, random street violence, domestic violence, human trafficking, and/or assault/sexual assault. Prior to discharge, patients develop with UH’s HVIP staff a post-discharge plan that covers five service categories:

• Referral Services: identifies available services and how they are coordinated
• Personal Advocacy Services: peer navigation and accompaniment to services that includes education, employment, legal and medical services
• Emotional Support/Safety Services: crisis intervention, hotline crisis response, individual and group counseling, emergency financial assistance, and therapeutic art and writing classes
• Shelter/Housing Services: emergency shelter, transitional housing, and relocation assistance
• Criminal/Civil Justice System Assistance: navigation services to legal aid and court hearing support

Patients who need help managing day to day activities such as shopping and meal preparation while they recover as outpatients receive support for these needs too.

As front-line witnesses to the human cost, the innumerable tragedies, caused by violent crime, UH is committed to HVIP’s coordinated approach to victim stabilization services.  Through HVIP, victims of crime receive the support they need to achieve safety, heightened resilience, and measurable personal growth. UH is deeply grateful that through this new award, our staff and community partners will continue to repair lives shattered by violence.