Access to Care: The Role of Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs

Limited access along the continuum of trauma care, at any point, may lead to significant health disparities. Trauma care begins with prevention and pre-hospital services and extends to inpatient care, post-hospital rehabilitation, and recovery. If looking at violent injuries, specifically, there are clear opportunities for hospital systems, trauma centers, and individual providers to promote awareness, provide education, engage with communities, embody trauma-informed care, and mitigate violence. These include community-focused initiatives like Stop the Bleed and hospital-based violence intervention programs. Failure to provide access to care poses a significant risk of increased incidence of violent injury and poor health. Therefore, policymakers and health care professionals alike should prioritize access to care and violence prevention to reduce the incidence of trauma and promote health, safety, and well-being for all communities.