PHILADELPHIA, PA — Pennsylvania officials on Wednesday announced nearly $3 million in new funding to strengthen hospital-based violence intervention programs, a strategy the Shapiro-Davis Administration says is delivering measurable reductions in gun violence statewide.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis detailed the investment during an event at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he joined state and local leaders to highlight how these programs — known as HVIPs — provide support to violently injured patients at the moment they are hospitalized and in the critical period after discharge. The grants were approved Wednesday morning by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which Davis chairs.
“Every Pennsylvanian — whether you live in West Philly or Westmoreland County — deserves to be safe and feel safe in their community,” Davis said. He argued that as federal support recedes, the state is stepping up its commitment to evidence-based tools that prevent retaliatory violence and break cycles of harm.
Four organizations will receive funding to expand or relaunch HVIPs across the state. Penn Trauma will receive $736,372 to grow its violence recovery program; Temple University Hospital will receive $875,000 to launch a new spinal cord injury support initiative; the University of Pittsburgh will receive $944,851 to expand its teen violence recovery program; and the Urban Affairs Coalition will receive $350,000 to relaunch the Chester Community Coalition’s HVIP following the closure of Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
Leaders from each institution described the funding as essential to sustaining care for victims and preventing further violence. Dr. Elinore Kaufman of Penn Medicine said that moments of crisis offer a “rare opportunity” to help patients heal physically and emotionally while reducing the likelihood of future injury. Lashira Council of the Chester Community Coalition said the investment will provide crucial support to survivors navigating trauma after losing a major local hospital.
Temple University Hospital officials said the grant will allow them to add a trauma psychologist, a spinal cord injury advocate, and a visiting nurse practitioner to provide in-home support — resources they say will help reduce rehospitalization and expand wraparound services to the more than 1,200 violently injured patients they assist each year.
HVIPs use trauma-informed care and community partnerships to stabilize survivors, reduce retaliation, and disrupt patterns of violence. Research cited by state officials shows the approach can significantly reduce reinjury and help stem cycles of gun violence.
Davis said that the administration’s broader public safety strategy is producing results. Pennsylvania has seen a 35 percent decline in homicides since 2022. Philadelphia homicides are down 15 percent from last year, and 79 percent of people shot in the city in 2025 have survived their injuries.
The bipartisan 2025–26 state budget includes additional investments in violence prevention, including a 10 percent increase to the Violence Intervention and Prevention grant program — now more than $62 million — as well as funding for youth enrichment programs, an additional $9 million for crime victim compensation, and support for four new State Police cadet classes.
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