Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Violence Intervention and Trauma Recovery Coalition

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

In 2020, the Los Angeles County (LAC) Department of Health Services (DHS) implemented the Violence Intervention and Trauma Recovery Coalition as a unified and coordinated approach to augmenting programming and streamlining connections for those in need of violence intervention and trauma recovery services. Prior to 2019, there were two existing Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPS). We opened an additional HVIP and two trauma recovery centers (TRCs) co-located on the campuses of the acute care hospitals for ease of referral and connection. The coalition is comprised of HVIP, TRC and health system leadership who coordinate services and collectively advocate for resources. HVIP and TRC staff meet the patients at the hospital bedside after a serious injury, build trust, and enroll them into services. After hospital discharge, TRC and HVIP staff help ease the client’s reentry into the community, assist with unmet social needs such as food and clothing, support them in avoiding further violent conflict and/or re-victimization, and provide mental health services. Whereas prior to 2019 the health system provided these services to less than 100 clients per year, under the coalition, we now provide trauma recovery and violence intervention services to 550 clients per year on average.