Mount Sinai Hospital is partnering with CeaseFire Illinois, a respected violence-prevention public health program, to offer additional services to patients who have experienced violence-related trauma, along with their families and friends. Starting this month, CeaseFire hospital responders will be on call 24-hours a day, 365-days a year to offer counseling and support to every patient arriving at Mount Sinai’s Level One trauma center who has experienced a gunshot wound or other penetrating trauma. Responders are trained to help patients and family cope with grief, while simultaneously offering dispute resolution intervention to prevent the likelihood of retaliatory violence.

In addition to an immediate response, CeaseFire case managers will continue to work with patients and their families as they heal and prepare for discharge, making connections with a host of social services to help them maintain healthy lifestyles. “Our partnership with CeaseFire is another great example of the comprehensive and collaborative approach Sinai takes to community health and wellness,” said Karen Teitelbaum president and CEO of Sinai Health System. “Just as we work to heal patients through high-quality clinical care, we are deeply invested in our communities, and work to prevent illnesses and address socioeconomic conditions that impact the welfare of our huge service area. Unfortunately, violence is near the top of our list.” CeaseFire is the Illinois program partner of Cure Violence, a top 20 global NGO and ranked first in violence prevention. The program is housed within the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health.