I'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and I support this bill. Violence intervention programs provide evidence and community-informed, comprehensive support to individuals who are at greatest risk of gunshot victimization. These programs are shown to reduce gunshot woundings and deaths in the neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.

I am Dr. Michel Aboutanos , I am a trauma Surgeon and chief of trauma at VCU Level 1 trauma center with more than 20 years experience in trauma care seeing countless suffering and lives that could have been saved with well sustained and funded violence prevention and intervention programs . For this reason, we created Bridging the GAP (BTG) program, which is an evidence based, Hospital-Community based, Violence Prevention and Intervention program (HVIP) , with demonstrated 70% reduction in violence recidivism and reinjury. This is achieved by an amazing and tireless team of violence interrupters, case managers, and counselors. We have spread our BTG model across Virginia and established multiple HVIP that are making a tremendous difference . The main and essential challenge for every one of our evidence based programs remains funding and sustainability!! Supporting HB 1720 is vital to help provide sustainable resources and allow Medicaid to support the myriad of wrap around social services to stop the cycle of violence. It is a small ask that makes a huge difference. We urge you to move HB 1720 out of committee! thank you for listening and for your consideration. Michel Aboutanos Trauma surgeon / trauma medical director & Director of VCU’s Injury & Violence Prevention program

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence strongly supports this policy. Community Violence Intervention (CVI) is an evidence-based public health approach to stopping cycles of interpersonal violence. CVI programs equipped with outreach workers, mentors, and advocates, engage directly with those most at risk of committing violence or themselves being victimized, and work to implement conflict resolution. These programs provide services ranging from mediation, to the provision of holistic social services. A strong body of public health research shows that targeted, sustained investments in violence prevention services are effective at promoting trauma recovery and reducing risk of violent reinjury. In fact, communities have seen dramatic decreases in violence after funding community violence prevention and intervention programs, including hospital-based intervention programs. Virginia has the chance to follow in the footsteps of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Oregon and pass a law to authorize Medicaid funding for intervention services. Adding a Medicaid violence prevention benefit would be a significant step toward enhancing public health infrastructure to reduce community violence and improve overall well-being in Virginia. A violence prevention benefit would allow violence prevention professionals to receive financial reimbursement through Medicaid to provide services to existing Medicaid patients who have been personally injured, exposed to chronic community violence, or those at significant risk of violent injury, as determined by licensed health care providers. Hospitals are reluctant to introduce this intervention without a clear and sustainable funding stream, and Virginia has the chance to provide them with one. In order to stop cycles of violence and address the growing gun violence epidemic, day-to-day community violence cannot be overlooked. Communities need to be equipped with evidence-based strategies to reduce violence and address root causes through community-centered and supported approaches. This bill will codify and sustain such funding in Virginia and will meaningfully address gun violence prevention

I am a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the volunteer arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, and I also serve on the Virginia Community Violence Coalition. I am writing to express strong SUPPORT for HB 1720, which would allow violence prevention professionals to be reimbursed by Virginia’s Medicaid program Virginia has invested in several Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs), which provide services to individuals who have been shot to help interrupt cycles of retaliation. However, we know that most victims of community gun violence are either uninsured or on Medicaid, and our Violence Intervention and Prevention Organizations need sustainable resources. Allowing Medicaid to support some of their services would make a significant difference in their ability to continue providing these services. Please support HB 1720 and move it out of committee. Thank you. Marilyn Adams Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; Virginia Community Violence Coalition

Comments Document

To the House Health and Human Services - Social Services Committee, The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention strongly urges your support for House Bill 1720, which would direct the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of medical assistance for violence prevention services. This legislation would create a sustainable funding stream for critical, evidence-based, anti-violence programming throughout the Commonwealth. Our organization represents over 50 hospital-based violence intervention programs nationwide, including a network of programs throughout Virginia. In our attached written testimony, we have outlined in detail the health benefits of such an approach as well as critical cost-effectiveness data. For these reasons, we urge the committee to vote favorably on this life-saving legislation.

My name is Mike McLively and I am the Policy Director of the GIFFORDS Center for Violence Intervention. WE are part of GIFFORDS, a national gun violence prevention organization named after former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011 while hosting an event for her constituents. I am writing to express our strong SUPPORT for HB 1720, which would allow violence prevention professionals to be reimbursed by Virginia’s Medicaid program for their lifesaving services. Violence is a public health crisis in the US and in Virginia, where more than 1,000 people are shot and either killed or injured every single year. This creates untold human suffering and also extreme economic costs. One of the most effective solutions to violence is to provide intervention services to the small population of individuals at highest risk of engaging in violence. Virginia has wisely invested in the expansion of several Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs), which provide such services to individuals who have been shot to help interrupt cycles of retaliation. However, these kinds of programs need sustainable resources and allowing Medicaid to support some of their services would help put some of these costs onto the federal government, which offers significant matching funds for services provided to Medicaid expansion populations. We know that most victims of community gun violence are either uninsured or on Medicaid, so an investment in evidence-informed violence prevention services is one that will pay for itself. Given the relatively small size of the violence prevention professional workforce in Virginia, this is a policy that will not have a significant price tag, but offers the potential for saving both lives and taxpayer dollars. Virginia would join eight other states that have taken this step, including North Carolina, Connecticut, Oregon, and Maryland. This bill also calls for the creation of a work group to work with DMAS to ensure that implementation is carried out with input from the field. In short, this is an important policy and a tool for saving lives from violence in Virginia. It has nothing to do with guns or Second Amendment rights, which is something that members from both sides of the isle should be able to support. We urge you to move HB 1720 out of committee and thank you for your consideration. With thanks, Mike McLively Policy Director GIFFORDS Center for Violence Intervention mmclively@giffords.org