MINNEAPOLIS — "My years working at Children's Minnesota, saw this as a reasonable partnership," said Children's Minnesota critical care physician, Dr. Andrew Kiragu.
Next Step is a hospital-based violence intervention program connecting young people with violent injuries to resources and support.
"We try to determine do they live in situations that make it much more likely they will be victimized by violence," said Dr. Kiragu. "Especially for young people in Black and brown communities, we are talking about the results of poverty and systemic racism."
Back in January, leaders from the city to federal level spoke about this kind of hospital-based violence intervention, which can help address all aspects of an injury from gun violence, not just the physical.
"When you have someone at your bedside that wants to help, do you need a job, do you need additional help sometimes the offer to help goes a whole lot further," said Mayor Jacob Frey during that press conference.
"We are excited to have a fourth hospital in the mix, it just means we can serve more families," said Josh Peterson with the City of Minneapolis Office of Violence Prevention.
Peterson says the program has been around since 2016, operating in hospitals across the region.
Since launching they've served over 900 violence survivors.
"We've operated in HCMC, North Memorial, Abbot Northwestern, and now, Children's north memorial, abbot northwestern and now Children's Minnesota," said Peterson.
While the goal is to help bridge the gap. "Hurt people hurt people, healed people, heal people," said HCMC Next Step program director Kentral Galloway.
They're working to protect survivors of violence - even long after they leave the hospital bed.
"Figure out what's happening, or what's forcing them to live this way or be involved in this," said Galloway.
The goals of the program are to:
- Reduce the rate of violent re-injury and re-hospitalization for survivors of a stabbing, gunshot or other violent injuries.
- Support positive development and holistic healing for survivors and families who are affected by violence.
- Interrupt the cycle of recurrent violence.
More than 160 pediatric providers from across the state joined with Children's Minnesota Monday, signing an open letter to state lawmakers in which they called youth violence — particularly involving firearms — "a pediatric public health emergency."
The letter read, in part:
"Today, more than 160 pediatric providers from health systems statewide have joined Children’s Minnesota in calling on Minnesota lawmakers to take further action to prevent gun violence. This call to action was issued through the following open letter to state lawmakers:
If we, pediatric health care professionals, woke up tomorrow knowing how to cure childhood cancer, you can bet we would waste no time saving young lives ...
Minnesota lawmakers, we know you want the same thing we do — for all Minnesota kids to grow up safe and healthy. Like us, you as public servants have a duty to protect the young people of our state. We know you understand that keeping Minnesota kids safe from harm isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a public health issue."
The Next Step program at Children’s Minnesota will involve a partnership between the Next Step team and multiple Children’s Minnesota teams, including trauma, emergency department, critical care, hospitalists, nursing, social work, security and the Collective for Community Health.