Leaders from University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Children’s Hospital updated the Public Safety and Governance Committee on the Hope & Shield Network, a hospital-based violence intervention program the hospitals launched about six months ago with city grant funding. Dr. Makely (UC) and Dr. Kotakha (Children’s) told the committee their team has hired three violence prevention professionals (VPPs), enrolled more than 50 patients, and developed a shared data collection system to track outcomes.

Nut graf: The program provides in-hospital bedside engagement and post-discharge wraparound services—case management, job readiness, housing navigation and food assistance—targeting victims of intentional violence aged 0–44 who live in the city of Cincinnati. Committee members praised early partnerships but pressed presenters on reinjury tracking, enrollment rates and housing/relocation challenges.

Program staff described a rapid launch after a city grant and an RFP. Dr. Makely said the VPPs carry trauma pagers so they can be notified when an injured patient arrives and can immediately engage with patients and families during inpatient stays and at outpatient follow-up. The presenters reported 222 patients presenting as victims of gun violence across both hospitals during the launch period; about 130 met program eligibility and the team’s screening rate has risen from about 15 percent at launch to roughly 75–80 percent in recent months. The presenters said their target enrollment rate is about 50 percent of eligible patients; they reported more than 50 enrolled patients to date.

Program services described to the committee include job-readiness referrals, GED enrollment help, housing navigation and emergency relocation assistance when possible, driver’s-license support and development of youth mentorship and survivor workshops. Dr. Makely said about 80 percent of enrolled patients have identified food insecurity as a significant need; the presenters described a partnership with Findlay Market and Produce Perks to deliver produce boxes to enrolled patients for 12 weeks after discharge.

Committee members asked how long VPPs work with clients; presenters said the program goal is 6–12 months of engagement per participant but that exact exit criteria and standards of practice are still being developed. Dr. Makely and Dr. Kotakha said reinjury rate is the key long-term metric; early program data are insufficient to measure reinjury but the hospitals will use trauma registries and REDCap data collection to track repeat injury over time. The presenters acknowledged limitations: current city funding restricts services to Cincinnati residents and to the target age group, and capacity constraints mean non-gun-violence victims (for example, stabbing victims) are not yet included.

Quotes and details: Dr. Makely said the program aims to “align the resources that our medical staff has with our community based partners, to really best identify and understand the social drivers of health” for victims of gun violence. John Revazio, chief of staff at Metro (speaking earlier on transit but referenced here), and multiple council members praised partnerships with the Urban League, the city’s job programs and the Salvation Army. Council members asked whether any enrolled clients had experienced repeat injury; presenters said none of the 50 enrolled patients had a documented repeat injury in the six-month window to date, but cautioned it is early to know the program’s effect on reinjury.

Ending: Presenters asked the council to continue partnership on housing and other supports; council members offered to help identify city resources and to track outcomes in future reports to the committee.