Funded by the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), this community-based, trauma-informed program aims to reduce the long-term impact of violence by providing rapid intervention, coordinated care, and ongoing support for individuals and families affected by gun and community violence.
Through a partnership with Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, violence intervention specialists respond immediately to crisis situations, conducting assessments, providing short-term counseling and case management, and connecting individuals and families to long-term community supports. Services are delivered in both community and hospital settings, including Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, and Nazareth Hospital, as well as through referrals from mobile crisis response units across Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties.
At Tower Health, TLC social workers provide client-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive care focused on empowerment and long-term stability. Services include case management, care coordination, and connections to housing, healthcare, education, employment, and family support resources. Social workers collaborate closely with hospital staff and community partners to ensure a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach that reduces barriers, promotes selfsufficiency, and improves overall well-being.
Our Model
Based upon evidence-based programs, VIPP employs trained violence intervention clinicians and specialists. This team utilizes assertive outreach and crisis response strategies, community resources and peer supports, and healing centered therapy and case management. The VIPP provides:
- Immediate response to gun and other forms of community violence.
- Comprehensive clinical crisis assessments.
- Short-term (up to one year of support) therapeutic and case management solutions, based on case by case circumstances.
- Referrals to community-based providers.
Our Objectives
VIPP is not just a response program; rather it is a transformative effort with clear objectives:
- Create and implement a community-wide collaborative approach to counteract gun and group violence.
- Provide individuals affected by violence with crisis response, healing centered therapy, and case management. Our network includes local emergency departments and mobile crisis units spanning Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties.
- Establish a strong bridge connecting violence-exposed individuals to essential long-term services that cater to their core needs.
- Envision and realize a future where repeated exposure to violence are significantly diminished, fostering safer communities.
- Build a lasting safety net of support for individuals in each community served.
Resources
About Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic
Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic is a Regional Health System that includes Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa.; Nazareth Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia; Saint Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Del.; and St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa. These entities include hospitals, associated clinics, medical offices, specialized facilities, affiliated institutions and foundations serving together in the spirit of the Gospel as a compassionate and transforming healing presence within their communities. PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly) and home health programs also are offered through Trinity Health. Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic is a member of Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. For more information, visit trinityhealthma.org.
About Tower Health
Tower Health is a regional integrated healthcare system that offers compassionate, high-quality, leading-edge healthcare and wellness services to communities in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. With approximately 11,500 employees, Tower Health consists of Reading Hospital in West Reading; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville; Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown; and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, in partnership with Drexel University. Tower Health is strongly committed to academic medicine and training, including multiple residency and fellowship programs, the Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health, and the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences in West Reading. The system also includes Reading Hospital Rehabilitation at Wyomissing; home healthcare provided by Tower Health at Home; TowerDirect ambulance and emergency response; Tower Health Medical Group; Tower Health Providers, our clinically integrated network; and Tower Health Urgent Care facilities across our service area. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.
Program Contact
For more information, please contact our Violence Intervention Clinical Supervisor:
Tyreese Mayo
484-501-1926
VIPPreferral@thelincolncenter.com