Written by Kim Furlow, communications manager for the Institute for Public Health
Members of the Life Outside of Violence team, the Data Center at the Institute for Public Health and lead author and Faculty Scholar, Kristen Mueller, MD and other co-authors have published a report titled, “A Regional Approach to Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs Through LOV“. The paper is running in the May 2023 issue of Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.
The paper’s premise is that community violence is an under-addressed public health threat. Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) like the Life Outside of Violence Program (facilitated by the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis) have been used to address the root causes of violence and prevent reinjury.
The article describes the methods used by the Life Outside Violence (LOV) program, and provides preliminary outcomes. Life Outside of Violence mentors intervene following a violent injury to decrease risk of reinjury, retaliation or death. Mentors provide resources to achieve goals unique to each participant including therapeutic counseling and case management services for patients and their families. Eligible patients are victims of violent injury between the ages of 8 and 24 years, who are residents of St Louis, Missouri, and present for care at a LOV partner adult or pediatric level I trauma hospital. Enrolled participants receive program services for six to 12 months and complete an individual treatment plan.
In the article, authors report LOV operational methodology, as well as process metrics, including program enrollment, graduation, and qualitative data on program implementation.