Shock Trauma ’s Violence Intervention Specialists Help Break the Cycle and Change Lives After Violent Injury

It’s heard in the news cycle pretty often in Baltimore – the victim of a gunshot wound or stabbing is taken to Shock Trauma, where they survive their injuries. However, it’s NOT often you hear about what happens to these survivors. How are they recovering from their injuries, mentally and emotionally? What are our teams doing to help them get access to resources to avoid violent injury again? That’s where Leonard Spain and David Ross come in.  They’re both Violence Intervention Case Managers at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.  Anytime someone suffers a violent injury and survives their injuries at Shock Trauma, they are seen by Spain and Ross. Spain and Ross work to connect victims of violence with resources to get them on the path to success – including employment and schooling opportunities, mental health support, legal assistance and more. Cut from the Same Cloth Leonard Spain grew up in West Baltimore and, as a young man, was involved in the drug trade. “The population that we serve – I was them. I sold drugs, I was a victim of gun violence and I spent time in prison,” Spain says. That time in prison is what caused Spain to change his way of seeing things. When he arrived home, Spain realized the lack of resources available to help people like him get back on their feet. He went to several career and job centers, attended job fairs and tried to do everything he could to stay out of trouble. After working a temp job for minimum wage for...
Source: Life in a Medical Center - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Community Outreach Miscellaneous patient care Patient Safety and Quality Service Social Work trauma Baltimore baltimore violence shock trauma shooting Source Type: blogs