Mobile Launches First HVIP

Through a partnership with USA Health University Hospital and the Mobile County Health Department (MCHD), the City of Mobile will establish its first Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP). Modeled after successful HVIPs in other parts of the country, this initiative will help combat cycles of violent crime and retaliation by engaging crime victims as they are being treated in the hospital and connecting victims and their families to long-term services and support. On July 9, the Mobile City Council considered the proposed agreement with the University of South Alabama (USA) to authorize the HVIP for the first time. Under the agreement, the HVIP would be supported for two years using funding from the America Rescue Plan Act, with additional support coming from the city and MCHD. Joshua Jones, the city’s youth violence prevention coordinator, will lead the program. Since 2021, Jones has led the city’s Youth Violence Prevention Program, which has spearheaded local events and campaigns to prevent violence among young people. The city’s Office of Public Safety will also be expanding youth violence prevention efforts through the Mobile Parks and Recreation Department and new community partnerships.