A public health approach to ending cycles of community violence and how CICG helps programs build them right.
See CICG's TA Pathway →Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) are multidisciplinary programs that intervene with violently injured people at the moment they arrive at a hospital a critical window when they are most open to change.
HVIPs deploy Violence Prevention Professionals (VPPs) credible messengers with lived experience of violence to provide trauma-informed care, safety planning, and intensive case management that addresses the root causes of violence and interrupts cycles of re-injury.
At their core, HVIPs treat community violence as what it is: a preventable public health crisis rooted in structural racism and inequity.
Violently injured individuals are most open to intervention while hospitalized reaching them here changes lives. HVIPs reduce ED re-admissions for violence, lower long-term healthcare costs, and fulfill ACS Committee on Trauma requirements for accredited trauma centers. Research consistently shows HVIPs are cost-effective saving money for hospitals, health systems, and communities alike.
VPPs with lived experience of violence build trust at the bedside and walk alongside participants long-term.
Intensive case management addressing safety, mental health, housing, employment, legal needs, and SDOH for 6+ months.
Deep integration with trauma centers, ED teams, social work, and clinical staff with institutional champions.
MOUs with CBOs, street outreach, re-entry programs, and CVI ecosystem partners centering those most impacted.
Racial equity is foundational not an add-on. HVIPs interrupt structural racism by investing in people and communities most harmed by violence.
Decades of research and practice demonstrate that hospital-based violence intervention is one of the most effective public health tools available to reduce repeat violent injury and save lives.
Critical Window of OpportunityViolently injured individuals are most open to intervention while hospitalized reaching them at this moment changes trajectories and saves lives.
Dramatic Reduction in Re-InjuryLeading programs have demonstrated up to a 50% reduction in repeat violent injury among participants a result unmatched by most other community violence interventions.
Cost-Effective InvestmentHVIPs reduce ED re-admissions and lower long-term healthcare costs for hospitals, health systems, and communities delivering strong returns on investment.
Credible Messenger ModelVPPs with lived experience of violence build trust that clinicians alone cannot. This peer-based approach is central to HVIP effectiveness and participant engagement.
Accreditation RequirementHVIPs fulfill ACS Committee on Trauma requirements for accredited trauma centers, making them essential infrastructure for hospitals seeking or maintaining Level I–IV designation.
Addresses Root CausesUnlike reactive approaches, HVIPs address the structural determinants of violence housing, economic insecurity, trauma, and lack of opportunity through sustained, wraparound support.
Founded in 2009, The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (The HAVI) is the only national organization dedicated to using a public health framework to address community violence through the HVIP model.
The HAVI builds and connects violence intervention programs, provides training and technical assistance, conducts research, advocates for policy, and sets national standards for the field through The HAVI Standards & Indicators for Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (2022) the definitive framework guiding HVIP development and fidelity across all programs nationally.
Every phase of CICG's TA Pathway maps directly to The HAVI's 8 Standard Areas, ensuring the programs we support are built to last and built to the highest standard in the field.
Sherah Liverpool-White, Founder & Principal Consultant of CICG, is a former HAVI staff member who spent five years providing training and technical assistance to hospital-based violence intervention programs nationwide. During her time with The HAVI, she contributed to the development of the Standards & Indicators the foundational document guiding HVIP development across the country.
Learn more about The HAVI → thehavi.org| # | Standard Area | How CICG Applies This Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Planning & Design | CICG facilitates equity-grounded program design sessions, needs assessments, logic model development, eligibility criteria, and foundational policies & procedures all anchored in racial equity and a public health framework. |
| 2.0 | Community Partnerships | CICG maps the local CVI ecosystem, facilitates MOU negotiations, builds community partner directories, and establishes cross-referral and data-sharing agreements with CBOs, re-entry programs, and city/county agencies. |
| 3.0 | Staff Development | CICG supports equitable hiring, designs trauma-informed training plans aligned with HAVI Core Competencies, structures reflective supervision models, and develops VPP leadership pathways and wellness supports. |
| 4.0 | Participant Engagement | CICG develops bedside response protocols, consent processes, retaliation prevention tools, and inclusive engagement practices for LGBTQ+, justice-involved, youth, undocumented, and disability populations. |
| 5.0 | Service Delivery | CICG designs trauma-informed intake tools, 6-month minimum case management frameworks, tiered service models, post-discharge community-based service plans, and wraparound SDOH referral systems. |
| 6.0 | Data, Evaluation & Research | CICG establishes HIPAA-compliant data systems, builds logic model-based evaluation plans, defines HAVI-aligned outcome indicators, and supports data-sharing agreements and community-based participatory research. |
| 7.0 | Hospital Systems Transformation | CICG identifies hospital champions, builds cross-departmental relationships, develops law enforcement protocols, and delivers trauma-informed care training for clinical staff, residents, and students. |
| 8.0 | Sustainability & Funding | CICG develops 3-year strategic plans, multi-year budgets, diversified funding pipelines, frontline pay equity reviews, and policy advocacy strategies supporting HAVI network engagement throughout. |
A structured, three-phase TA model for CBOs, hospital systems, and government agencies building or strengthening HVIPs. Grounded in The HAVI Standards & Indicators (2022), it delivers the equity framework, capacity-building support, tools, training, and accountability structures needed to launch programs that save lives and heal communities.
CICG provides the equity framework, tools, training, and hands-on support your program needs grounded in The HAVI Standards & Indicators from day one.
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