IU Health, Indy Public Safety Foundation and city and community partners have announced the Indy Peace Hospital-Linked Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) to support gun violence victims and reduce future violence in the state.
“Every day our teams witness the impact gun violence has on individuals and their families, and every day we see patients and loved ones trying their hardest to rebuild their lives,” said Michele Saysana, chief medical officer for IU Health Methodist and University hospitals.
The HVIP is the first of its kind in Indiana. Mayor Joe Hogsett expressed his gratitude towards the health care workers involved for helping to reduce the increased risk of re-injury that many gun violence victims face, citing a 32% reduction in criminal homicides from 2021 to 2023.
“Indianapolis is proud to be one of the first cities to implement (the program) fully,” Hogsett said.
Indy Peace is a program through the Office of Public Health and Safety, delivered in collaboration with the Indy Public Safety Foundation.
The process works like this:
- A person who lives in Marion County comes into the emergency department with a gunshot wound.
- The wound is diagnosed as not self-inflicted.
- Nurse navigators see them and gain consent to see a life coach and speak with a therapist.
- The therapist assesses the needs of the patient and connects them with resources.
While there are similar programs throughout the state, this program is the only one separate from the hospital.
“We partner with a health organization to gain access to individuals who may be admitted to the hospital,” said Dane Nutty, president and CEO of the Indy Safety Foundation. “Other programs, which may be a hospital-based program, would be somebody that is staffed and actually an employee of said hospital that’s doing the work in the network as well as outside.”
Nutty said the program will focus on three main things. Number one is immediate support.
“When somebody is a victim of gun violence, they need support immediately, not only physically, and we’re happy to lean on our partners in IU Health to provide that very high-level, state-of-the-art medical care, but they also need emotional support. They need resources,” Nutty said.
Second is personalized care. The program will be a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses and clinicians, life coaches, program managers and community members.
Lastly, the program will focus on long-term recovery. As Nutty describes, gunshot wounds have immediate trauma and pain but also lasting effects.
“Our folks are able to work alongside (the victims) and really make sure that they have opportunities for success and to help us increase peace in our city,” Nutty said.
The program focuses on the hospital because it is the epicenter of the city’s violence, and many program managers are trained for intense interventions.
“Because of (the health care workers’) lived experience, they’re able to serve as credible messengers and connect with vitally injured people to discourage retaliation and help them navigate the challenges they may face in the aftermath of their injuries,” said Kendra Simmons, senior director of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention.
Since its launch in April, 27 patients have been referred to the program and six have been enrolled in the Indy Peace Fellowship to continue long-term recovery.
“This is indeed an important day,” Hogsett said. “It’s a good day for Indianapolis.” To learn more, visit indypeace.org/hvip.
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This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
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