I am attaching a letter of support for HB 1523 (Maguire), which would create a certification process for Violence Prevention Professionals in Virginia to help combat the public health epidemic of gun violence. In case there are any issues with the attachment, here is a brief summary:
Virginia Already Has the Right Model:
Virginia’s Community Health Worker (CHW) certification created core competencies and ethics, portable credentials and career pathways, a foundation for Medicaid reimbursement, and stronger hospital–community partnerships.
Violence Prevention Professionals perform parallel functions—crisis response, care coordination, trauma-informed support, and systems navigation—without the same professional infrastructure.
What HB 1523 Will Do
• Establish training standards in mediation, trauma-informed care, ethics, and safety
• Create a recognized credential for outreach workers and hospital responders
• Enable Medicaid and state reimbursement similar to CHWs
• Improve public safety and patient outcomes through accountability
• Stabilize a workforce hospitals and localities already rely on
Smart Safeguards (Modeled on CHW Success)
• Accessible pathways with grandfathering for experienced workers
• Training delivered by community organizations and higher education together
• Standards that value lived experience while protecting the public
• Local flexibility within a statewide quality framework
Request:
Please advance HB 1523, Delegate McGuire’s Violence Prevention Professional Certification bill. Virginia used CHW certification to improve health and equity—this bill applies that same approach to community safety. Healthy communities and safe communities are built the same way: by investing in the people who serve them.
I am attaching a letter of support for HB 1523 (Maguire), which would create a certification process for Violence Prevention Professionals in Virginia to help combat the public health epidemic of gun violence. In case there are any issues with the attachment, here is a brief summary: Virginia Already Has the Right Model: Virginia’s Community Health Worker (CHW) certification created core competencies and ethics, portable credentials and career pathways, a foundation for Medicaid reimbursement, and stronger hospital–community partnerships. Violence Prevention Professionals perform parallel functions—crisis response, care coordination, trauma-informed support, and systems navigation—without the same professional infrastructure. What HB 1523 Will Do • Establish training standards in mediation, trauma-informed care, ethics, and safety • Create a recognized credential for outreach workers and hospital responders • Enable Medicaid and state reimbursement similar to CHWs • Improve public safety and patient outcomes through accountability • Stabilize a workforce hospitals and localities already rely on Smart Safeguards (Modeled on CHW Success) • Accessible pathways with grandfathering for experienced workers • Training delivered by community organizations and higher education together • Standards that value lived experience while protecting the public • Local flexibility within a statewide quality framework Request: Please advance HB 1523, Delegate McGuire’s Violence Prevention Professional Certification bill. Virginia used CHW certification to improve health and equity—this bill applies that same approach to community safety. Healthy communities and safe communities are built the same way: by investing in the people who serve them.