Hospital Programs Can Curb Violence Recurrence, BU Study Finds

A hospital-based program that supports victims of gun and knife violence can reduce the likelihood of reinjury or committing violence, according to researchers.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 9:31pm

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A new Boston University study found that a hospital-based program that supports victims of gun and knife violence can reduce the likelihood that those victims will be reinjured or commit violence themselves. The study analyzed the records of over 1,300 shooting or stabbing survivors and found that regular engagement with the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program (VIAP) at Boston Medical Center cut the likelihood of future violence in half.

Why it matters

The findings offer hope for similar programs nationwide and may encourage cities to invest in hospital-based violence intervention programs as a way to help reduce gun violence levels. The study highlights how meeting the basic social and emotional needs of violence victims can make them far less likely to be involved in future violence.

The details

The VIAP program provides post-discharge help with mental health, family support, housing, food, employment, education, and other needs for survivors of gunshot and knife wounds treated in the emergency department. The study found that brief interaction with the program did not appreciably lessen the risk of future violence, but the roughly 10% of survivors who regularly worked with VIAP in the first two months after discharge saw their likelihood of being involved in violence cut in half.

  • The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, analyzed the records of 1,300-plus shooting or stabbing survivors, ages 16 to 34, who were treated between an unspecified time period.
  • The study found that the roughly 10% of survivors who regularly worked with VIAP in the first two months after discharge saw their likelihood of being involved in violence cut in half.

The players

Jonathan Jay

A BU School of Public Health associate professor of community health sciences and the lead researcher on the study.

Lavon Anderson

The housing coordinator for the VIAP program at Boston Medical Center.

Boston Medical Center (BMC)

The primary teaching hospital for Boston University, and one of more than 60 hospitals in the country with a hospital-based violence intervention program.

Violence Intervention Advocacy Program (VIAP)

A hospital-based program at Boston Medical Center that provides post-discharge help with mental health, family support, housing, food, employment, education, and other needs for survivors of gun and knife violence.

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What they’re saying

“When people's basic social and emotional needs are met, they are far less likely to be involved in violence.”

— Jonathan Jay, BU School of Public Health associate professor of community health sciences (Annals of Internal Medicine)

“VIAP helps prevent future violence by helping people heal from trauma, stabilize their lives, and work toward goals that may not have felt possible before. When people feel supported and hopeful, they're much less likely to return to cycles of violence.”

— Lavon Anderson, Housing coordinator, VIAP (Annals of Internal Medicine)

What’s next

The study's findings may encourage more cities to invest in hospital-based violence intervention programs like VIAP as a way to help reduce gun violence levels.

The takeaway

This study provides evidence that hospital-based programs that address the social and emotional needs of violence victims can be an effective strategy for reducing the cycle of violence and reinjury. The success of the VIAP program highlights the importance of a holistic, trauma-informed approach to supporting those impacted by gun and knife violence.