One of Nine in New Jersey and the Only Hospital in Mercer and Burlington County Region to Receive Grant Funding
As part of a statewide effort to combat violence as a public health crisis in our community, Capital Health has been selected as the only hospital in the Mercer and Burlington County region, and one of nine in New Jersey, to be a host site for the New Jersey Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (NJHVIP). The program aims to connect hospitals and medical facilities with existing community organizations that provide victim assistance and work to reduce violence. Governor Phil Murphy, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords announced the grant winners at the Mary Bethune Center in Jersey City, NJ on January 29.
“Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are proven to help reduce repeat injury, and reaching victims of gun violence at the time of crisis is the key to their success,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. “With medical treatment and recovery as a starting point, Capital Health will help victims connect with our community partners who provide the social services, counseling, and education they need to truly heal and break the cycle of violence that has become so prevalent in some neighborhoods.”
Capital Health’s Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program will be managed through its level II Bristol-Myers Squibb Trauma Center at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton and the Capital Health Institute for Urban Care. Bristol-Myers Squibb Trauma Center at Capital Health Regional Medical Center offers advanced emergency care for severely injured patients involved in motor vehicle crashes, falls, and assaults with knives, guns, or blunt objects. Capital Health Institute for Urban Care works to advance the health and well-being of Trenton residents by growing and aligning Capital Health’s services with those of its local partner organizations. Capital Health’s selection as an NJHVIP site marks an important expansion of the Institute’s mission with a holistic approach to the violence crisis.
The NJHVIP program is being launched with $20 million in federal funding from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the largest VOCA award ever in the nation for an HVIP. These funds will support all nine NJHVIP sites for a period of 21 months.
Capital Health Institute for Urban Care works with a robust network of community partners in the City of Trenton to improve medical care while overcoming the complex social determinants of health. To learn more about the Institute, visit capitalhealth.org/urbancare.
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Trauma Center at Capital Health Regional Medical Center is a Level II New Jersey state-designated Trauma Center. One of only 10 designated trauma centers in New Jersey, it is the regional referral center for severely injured patients in Mercer County and adjacent parts of Somerset, Hunterdon, Burlington, and Middlesex counties as well as nearby areas of Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org/trauma.