Saint Francis Hospital Awarded for its Hospital Violence Intervention Program

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Saint Francis Hospital was awarded the 2023 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award by the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), in recognition of its Hospital Violence Intervention Program (HVIP). The annual award, presented jointly by CHA and DPH, recognizes a Connecticut hospital or health care system that has made an outstanding contribution to its community.

Saint Francis was presented with the prestigious award by DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, M.D. at the 2023 CHA Annual Meeting that took place on June 15, 2023 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville.

“We are so proud that Saint Francis Hospital’s Violence Intervention Program has been recognized by Connecticut Hospital Association and the Department of Public Health, and we thank them both for this honor” said Thomas Burke, BPharm, MBA, President, Saint Francis Hospital. “We also express extreme gratitude to our outstanding community partners, who are integral to the success of the program. The incredible work done by the Hospital Violence Intervention team displays their dedication to providing transformative, healing care to our community. Being recognized for our ability to provide a caring, skilled, collaborative approach to each patient’s individual needs and the needs of their loved ones, no matter their circumstance, is a testament to our commitment to serving our patients with compassion, kindness, and professionalism.”

“CHA is honored to be joined by DPH in presenting this award in recognition of the work done by Saint Francis Hospital’s HVIP in fostering partnerships and collaborations between hospital providers and community-based organizations to advance trauma informed services for victims of violence,” said Jennifer Jackson, CEO, CHA. “What stood out to the judges about this project was the collaborative approach to providing care and wrap around services to treat the whole person and their family. Congratulations to Saint Francis Hospital and their dedicated team. Their work is saving lives every day.”

The HVIP at Saint Francis began in 2004 as a partnership with a local community-based organization to support wrap around care for victims of violence to ensure social care needs are met when patients are discharged into the community.

Saint Francis has since evolved the program to include stronger coordination of services and support by embedding an HVIP specialist, who is also certified as a Community Health Worker, within the emergency department to be the liaison between emergency department staff and families. With the inclusion of a dedicated staff member, Saint Francis has been able to address unconscious bias in care and help build greater trust between patients and their providers.

The program has expanded to include workforce-readiness opportunities, providing field experience at the Joan C. Dauber Food Pantry for youth who have been impacted by violence and want to be gainfully employed. This is a collaborative effort between the hospital and COMPASS Youth Collaborative’s Transitional Employment Program, which is designed to provide job readiness skills to high-risk youth in the city of Hartford.

In addition to working with COMPASS Youth Collaborative, the program partners with Hartford Communities That Care, a non-profit that implements culturally appropriate, high quality, and evidence based crisis response, mental health, and supportive programs; and the Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center at Saint Francis, a hospital-based organization where children and adults who are suspected victims of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence can get the support and treatment they need. Learn more about the Saint Francis HVIP by watching the award presentation video here.