American Hospital Association’s Hospital Against Violence Campaign

The AHA 's Hospitals Against Violence Hope (#HAVhope) Friday is a digital media campaign focused on bringing national attention to ending all forms of violence and encouraging hospitals, health systems and community organizations to stand together against violence. Become a supporter by tweeting or submitting a photo that highlights your efforts of combatting violence in the community you serve.

Eugene WoodsThe June 9 HAVhope Day of Awareness is an outgrowth of a Hospital Against Violence campaign initiated by the AHA Board of Trustees to give voice to hospital efforts that combat violence in their communities and their facilities. While violence is different from one community to another, it has become a major public health and safety issue for nearly everyone in our country. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 2.3 million people are treated in U.S. emergency departments each year for violent injuries and violence costs more than $85 billion annually in medical expenses and lost productivity. What is constant, however, is the commitment of hospitals and health systems in helping their employees, patients and communities address violence in whatever form it may take.

Quick Facts:

More than 55,000 deaths and 2.5 million violence-related injuries occur every year (AHA)
On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States (NCADV)
12 percent of nonprofit hospitals identified community violence prevention as a priority need in their community health needs assessment (AHA)

Podcasts on Violence Prevention

As part of the Hospitals Against Violence campaign, the AHA interviewed various hospitals across the country that have institutionalized a violence prevention program upon learning violence is a prominent health issue in the communities they serve. Listen to some initiatives hospitals have adopted to combat violence in their community.