Hospital-based Partnerships

To be the victim of a shooting is to experience a life-changing moment…

There is no telling how a shooting victim will change their life. In fact, according to one study, victims of violence are 1.5 to 2.4 times more likely to be repeat victims than those who have never been victimized. And in communities where violence is an accepted method of resolving conflict these victims and their families are also highly susceptible to calls for retaliation.

CeaseFire’s Hospital-based Intervention is aimed at helping victims of violence assess the life decisions and factors that contributed to the violent event, introducing alternative behaviors, and redirecting their thinking toward a more positive path. CeaseFire Hospital Responders draw on their experiences and community-based support networks to connect injured youth with resources that will decrease the likelihood of re-injury and reduce their risk of violence.

…but it is a moment too often missed.

The cost of violent recidivism is high. Medical costs can be astronomical, and since most low-income shooting victims lack health insurance, the increasing cost of emergency room visits is passed on to tax payers.

We can’t afford to miss these crucial opportunities to disrupt the cycle of violence. The Hospital-based Intervention Program is an essential aspect of CeaseFire’s public health approach to violence prevention, which relies on reaching those individuals at highest risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of violence.

CeaseFire’s Hospital-based Intervention has successfully intervened in more than 2,000 violent incidents, providing victims with alternatives to repeat victimization or violent behavior. Two replications—at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD—have successfully adapted CeaseFire’s model to fit their communities’ needs. If you’re interested in bringing this life-saving program to your hospital, please contact Sheila Regan at 312.996.5982.

Hospital-based Programs

Advocate Christ Medical Center

In 2005, two surgeons in Advocate Christ’s Level 1 Trauma Center became fed up with the revolving door of violence. They saw that, after saving a life in their Emergency Department, violently injured patients returned to dangerous environments where they were likely to become victims—or perpetrators—of violence again. This epiphany led to the first CeaseFire Hospital Intervention Program, serving Chicago’s south and southwest side.

“It has just given me so much hope,” Cathy Arsenault, one of the chaplains at Advocate Christ, told Alex Kotlowitz in his 2008 New York Times Magazine profile of CeaseFire. “[Before the CeaseFire program] The families would come in, huddle in the corner and I could see them assigning people to take care of business.”

Northwestern Memorial Hospital

In February 2010, Northwestern Memorial Hospital became the second CeaseFire Hospital Intervention Program site. Northwestern’s Level I Trauma center treats about 1,000 patients every year.

“Trauma is a teaching opportunity,” Northwestern trauma surgeon Marie Crandall said. “These patients have touched mortality, which helps them reflect. The violence interrupters can use this opportunity to reach the patient and help them down another path.”