Akron officials are rolling out a new approach to gun violence prevention that starts in a hospital room.
The Partnership for Intervention, Violence Outreach and Transformation, known as PIVOT, will connect gun violence victims and their families with resources as they are recovering in the hospital 鈥� and will potentially prevent future gun violence from happening.
The city will partner with Summa Health, Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Minority Behavioral Health Group for the program, said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik.
鈥淪afety, in a true sense, requires everyone to come to the table,鈥� Malik said in a Friday news conference. 鈥淲e all have some responsibility, and we all have a role to play, and this, I think, is a really exciting highlight of it.鈥�
When a victim is hospitalized after being shot, counselors will meet with the individual inside the hospital and connect families to other resources to help with healing, said Pastor Jeffrey Dennis of Minority Behavioral Health Group.
鈥淚t creates a bridge 鈥� a bridge between what happens in the hospital, and what happens when a person returns home,鈥� Dennis said.
After a gun violence incident, a staff member from Minority Behavioral Health Group will meet with victims and provide bedside trauma therapy, said Angelo Anderson, a clinical counselor working with the program.
Addressing a victim as soon as they begin physical recovery is important, he said.
鈥淭he family and the actual victim 鈥� there鈥檚 a lot of fear and a lot of uncertainty at that particular moment,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淵ou really, honestly, just need somebody to walk alongside with you, and help make you feel more comfortable.鈥�
The new program is needed because while medical providers help victims of gun violence physically heal, there鈥檚 only so much they can do to address the emotional and psychological toll the trauma takes on the victims and their families, said Dr. Rathna Shenoy, division chief of trauma care and acute care surgery at Summa Health.
Intervening immediately can also prevent retaliation, she said.
鈥淵our first emotional response is anger, right? You鈥檙e angry, you want revenge, and this is where somebody like Angelo can intervene and say, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 not the way that we should be handling this,'鈥� Shenoy said. 鈥淭his is a missing piece. This is something we have not had in the past.鈥�
Trauma care providers see patients every day struggle to return to their home lives, added Dr. Christopher Wolff, trauma medical director at Cleveland Clinic Akron General.
They often see repeat patients 鈥� individuals who either commit or experience gun violence after a previous incident, he said.
鈥淭his is going to roll out in the hospital setting to fight to prevent future trauma and intervene on trauma cycles in the clinical setting as soon as possible,鈥� he said.
After being released from the hospital, victims and families will have access to support like grief and trauma counseling to help with long-term healing, Dennis said.
鈥淭he emergency room can save a life, but it takes collaboration and community to restore that life,鈥� he said.
When applicable, Minority Behavioral Health Group will also provide trusted staff members to guide individuals at risk of returning to the cycle of gun violence.
鈥淧eople respond to people they trust,鈥� Dennis said. 鈥淧revention and intervention, when [they are] successful, can lead to interruption. Interruption can lead to the opportunity to present different choices. Choices can lead to change.鈥�
The PIVOT program has been in the works for years and is the city鈥檚 latest attempt to break the cycle of violence, Malik added.
鈥淲e did not get here overnight,鈥� Malik said. 鈥淭his is not going to change overnight, but I truly believe that the partnerships we鈥檙e building today, the partnerships that are on display today, are truly what is going to get us out of here.鈥�
On Thursday, Akron police announced they arrested two juveniles in connection with a recent shooting at Lane Field in the Sherbondy Hill neighborhood. Officers are still investigating a shooting that injured three people in a nightlife district in the Highland Square neighborhood on Sunday.
Malik announced temporary bar and parking lot closures to try to curb overcrowding and crime in the area this weekend.
