A Proposal to Establish the Mississippi Violence Injury Prevention (VIP) Program
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Summary
This clinical trial is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of three interventions aimed at preventing violence and supporting those affected by it. Over next three years, the impact of these interventions on key areas will be measured, including the incidence of firearm injuries, the recovery of victims, the occurrence of retaliation and re-injury, and health economics. The interventions are developed based on data collected from a comprehensive needs assessment, community summit, retrospective medical chart reviews, and focus group sessions. The defined interventions are as follows: Intervention A - Integration of an existing community-based intervention program with Hospital services intervention B - Unrestricted Cash Assistance Intervention C - Mobile Community Support Services Additionally, the investigators will implement a detailed violence-focused survey for firearm survivors at the time of study enrollment. Follow-up is planned at 3,6 and 12 months. The results of this trial (including analyses of firearm injury rates, recovery outcomes, retaliation/re-injury occurrences, and economic data) will be shared with the affected communities and stakeholders to promote ongoing improvement and support.
Description
To achieve the goals of this trial, the investigators will activate community-focused interventions developed during the first phase of the study to help enroll participants in the study using a stepped wedge cluster design based on their dwelling addresses. The investigators will formalize the 9 clusters using geographic and demographic data specific to Jackson, Mississippi. Patients presenting in the ER with gunshot injuries will be randomized based on their dwelling address, which will be matched to their corresponding cluster's randomization assignments for the interventions of VIP (Opera…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * Firearm injury within the last 24 hours prior to their arrival at the University of Mississippi Medical Center * Residency/home address within one of the designated clusters. * Be approached by the research team within 72 hours of arrival. * Ability to understand the clinical trial, sign the consent form, and commit to follow-ups. * Ability and willingness to engage in all aspects of the intervention arm (must agree to Operation Good, Survey Participation, and Unrestricted Cash Assistance, these interventions/evaluations cannot be separated) Excl…
Interventions
- BehavioralHospital-Linked Violence Intervention Program
Activation of Operation Good, our community partner with a history of direct violence interruption in the streets and longitudinal health and wellness services to firearm injured patient (i.e. linking and aiding those who have suffered from violent injury to mental healthcare, job services, educational services)
- BehavioralMobile Community Event Support
A menu of services provided to the community in an activated cluster where funding will be provided to assist that community in holding events that support overall health and wellness (community clean-up, legal advisory services, pop-up clinic for blood pressure checks).
- BehavioralUnrestricted Cash Assistance
A participant in an activated cluster after firearm injury will receive two disbursements of 500$. One at the time of initial hospital evaluation and a second disbursement \~1 month later to offset the financial burden associated with firearm injury on the individual.
Location
- University of Mississippi Medical CenterJackson, Mississippi