Inside Business Health Care Heroes 2024: Safer Futures
Award: Innovations in Health Care
Last year, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters treated 22 children for injuries caused by gunfire, the health system reported. Two of those children died despite efforts to save them.
After watching children and families struggle in the aftermath of a shooting, CHKD’s trauma services team, emergency department and medical social work team leaders created the Safer Futures program to provide much-needed services to address the resulting trauma and prevent reoccurring violence. Medical social workers Kamron Blue, Vickie Madison and former colleague Imani McGlen played a significant role in developing the program that is part of breaking the cycle of violence and improving overall public health.
The program ensures families are able to meet their basic needs, including helping them avoid eviction or covering the cost of home repairs needed to fix damage from a shooting. Grant funding has helped purchase school supplies and send children to camp to enjoy activities like horseback riding and sailing, according to the nomination. The Safer Futures team helps families navigate local legal and education systems and refers children to counseling if needed. The program offers a four-week family support group that explores topics related to trauma, coping, resilience and legal matters.
Blue, Safer Futures program coordinator, shared details with Inside Business.
Can you describe the Safer Futures Program and why it’s needed? Safer Futures is a hospital-based violence intervention program that works with CHKD patients who are victims and/or survivors of community violence. The program provides safety planning, referrals for services and trauma-informed care to pediatric patients who have been violently injured. CHKD is the region’s only freestanding Level 1 pediatric trauma center. Safer Futures is an extension of the comprehensive care and services offered through our health system. Families can participate in the program for up to a year after they’ve been discharged, which is beneficial as it takes time to address psychosocial challenges, trauma symptoms and barriers to care, etc. The case managers working with our program participants are addressing social determinants of health and risk factors for being injured again through referrals for mental health therapy, ensuring children are attending follow-up medical appointments and advocating for additional support in the school setting. The case managers also accompany families to court and legal proceedings, and they address food and housing insecurity concerns. As firearms remain to be one of the leading causes of death for children and adolescents in the country, this program is needed to ensure that children and families have adequate wrap-around support as they heal and recover.
Can you share any advice for launching an innovative program? Launching this program took months of planning, meeting and organizing. It was a tedious process to ensure that all of the program’s policies, forms and grant-reporting procedures were legally and ethically consistent with the health system’s standards. It is important to be patient and to know that revisions and addendums mean that you are working to ensure the most effective and efficient program will be the final result. Another vital aspect of this type of work is connections and relationships with other health systems, organizations and community partners. The work begins in the hospital at the bedside, but a great deal of it takes place in the community. As such, being familiar with resources, nonprofit organizations and faith-based groups who may be able to support your families is essential to ensuring an optimal level of wrap-around services. Lastly, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes administrative work that takes place to ensure the program can run effectively. Time management, organization and attention to detail are essential skills needed to maintain accurate records, documentation and fiscal compliance. Having a strong admin team will be of great benefit.
What lessons have you learned? Gun violence is not just affecting people in marginalized communities. Shootings are taking place in neighborhoods, schools, churches, health care facilities and other public places. Whether someone’s family member or child has been shot or they’re simply worried about their safety and well-being while out in public, gun violence has affected everyone in our community in some way.
The hospital setting can be very intimidating, especially for people who are not familiar with processes, terminology and having to make critical decisions with minimal time to think. Being able to sit with families, explain what’s happening and what they can expect are beneficial in creating a positive patient experience. I have found that some families sometimes need additional support to ensure everyone understands treatment plans, paperwork being presented to them and other diagnostic information. Sitting in the room when difficult news is being delivered or accompanying a family to a follow-up appointment are ways in which our program staff can aid in reducing some of the anxiety and worry they may experience.
I’d also like to highlight the importance of having a multidisciplinary team of champions who are committed to solution-focused programming for families impacted by violence. We are fortunate to have support across all levels of the health system, which has aided in the program’s growth and development.
Why do you do what you do? It is an honor to serve families during their most difficult days in the hospital and after discharge. I find fulfillment in supporting families as they navigate through the traumatic things that have happened to them and I feel proud to be a part of a family’s journey to healing and hope. I also realize the importance of intervention and advocacy in the hospital and community settings. Safer Futures is one of a few pediatric hospital-based violence intervention programs in the country, and we have been able to accomplish some amazing things with our families and the support of our community partners.
Any advice for others on working with children/families? How you do the work is just as important as the work that’s being done. Be patient, be respectful and be empathetic. People know and feel when you are genuine, caring and compassionate. Therefore, establishing rapport and trust are essential to an effective working relationship with providers, patients and families. It is also important to listen to the children and families you are serving. As professionals, we tend to think we know what’s best and that we can solve everyone’s problems. However, it is always best to include the child and their family in the development and implementation of treatment plans and interventions. I have seen firsthand what people accomplish when they feel empowered and supported. Lastly, do not guarantee things or make promises you cannot keep. Resources and services are often limited; overpromising and under-delivering are quick ways to disrupt your professional relationships with children and their families.
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