In honor of Gun Violence Awareness Month and Wear Orange Day, NYC Health + Hospitals has announced a unified, multidisciplinary approach to treating victims of violent trauma through its Hospital-based Violence Interruption Programs (HVIP).

Funded in part by the NYC Mayor’s Office and the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), and in partnership with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the HVIP initiative operates in five public hospitals — Harlem, Jacobi, Kings County, Lincoln, and Woodhull.

These programs aim to break cycles of violence through a three-pronged model of interruption, prevention, and community engagement.

Each year, these hospitals treat over 3,500 patients for violent trauma, with about two-thirds receiving HVIP support.

“We’re not just saving lives in the emergency room. We’re changing lives beyond the hospital walls,” a program representative stated.

NYC Health + Hospitals plans to expand HVIP to Bellevue and Elmhurst Hospitals in the coming year, extending the program to all six of its Level-One Trauma Centers.

Additionally, this summer, in partnership with the Arts in Medicine Department’s Community Mural Project, HVIP will launch a systemwide mural initiative.

Artists Sheena Vaughn and William Bentley will create a collaborative mural to commemorate victims of gun violence and promote peace.

“This mural is more than art — it’s a healing process, a conversation starter, and a monument to resilience,” said the project organizers.