Healing Hurt People (HHP) works with clients who are seen in the Emergency Department for intentional injuries (gunshot, stab, or assault wounds). The program was conceived by an interdisciplinary team consisting of an emergency physician, an internist, a psychiatrist, a social worker and a psychologist with extensive expertise in violence prevention and trauma. HHP was designed to address the needs—physical, emotional, and social—that victims of violence face after being released from the emergency department. Often, individuals who have been violently injured have reported that while in the emergency department, their thoughts are to either change their way of life or to retaliate. Most often these youth return, without any supports, to the hostile environment in which they were injured. Healing Hurt People uses a trauma-informed approach to capitalize on this potentially life-changing moment and address the needs of these youth by providing connection to resources such as:
- medical follow-up
- emotional support for post-traumatic stress
- mentoring
- working with schools to help students affected by school violence
- housing
- substance abuse treatment
- recreation
Healing Hurt People is the cornerstone program of the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice. HHP is a community-focused, hospital-based program designed to reduce re-injury and retaliation among youth ages 8-30. The program is affiliated with the Emergency Department at Hahnemann University Hospital and the Drexel University College of Medicine. In the Fall of 2009, HHP was expanded to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children to reach young victims of violence age 8-21. This webinar was held on December 8, 2011.
Speakers:
Linda Rich | Director of Research at the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice and the Healing Hurt People program at Drexel’s College of Medicine
Linda has over 25 years of experience in psychotherapy, research, health policy analysis and program planning.
Dionne Delgado | Injury Prevention Coordinator for the Healing Hurt People program at the Drexel University College of Medicine
Dionne has had 16 years of experience working with individuals and families.
Hugh Thompson | Community Intervention Specialist for the Healing Hurt People program at Hahnemann University Hospital
Tony brings to HHP a broad range of youth development skills with a focus on at-risk youth living in urban environments.
Leigh Jamison | Community Intervention Specialist for the Healing Hurt People program at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Previously, Leigh worked in the AmeriCorps service program as a patient advocate at a community health center managed by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.