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CHKD and campus partners gather with victims of gun violence for gun violence awareness day 2024
Working Toward a Safer Future

Our Safer Futures program strives to break the cycle of violence, reduce reinjury rate, and strengthen neighborhoods.

Safer Futures

Contact the Safer Futures Team

Phone: (757) 668-9996

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Hospital Violence Intervention Program

Frontline health care workers in emergency departments are all too often witnesses to the aftermath of shootings, stabbings, and other violence that scars victims and families. Treating victims of trauma caused by violence is one of the most critical tasks performed by first responders and emergency medical personnel. Expanding our reach into communities through initiatives such as a community-based violence intervention program is a crucial step to improving overall public health. 

Our Safer Futures program is a grant funded program to help children of violence, their families, and the communities where they live. The goal is to break the cycle of violence. Reduce reinjury rate. Strengthen neighborhoods. Give families resources to keep them safe. And help what’s known as “second victims,” – the family members, friends, neighbors, and other witnesses of violence in homes, schools, workplaces, or on the street.

This multidisciplinary program combines the efforts of medical staff with trusted community-based partners to provide safety planning, services, and trauma-informed care to violently injured children and young adults. The program also helps to identify patients at risk of repeat violent injury and connects them with hospital- and community-based resources aimed at addressing underlying risk factors of violence.

Meet the Safer Futures Team

About Our Safer Futures Program

Mission Statement

The Hospital Violence Intervention Program at CHKD seeks to provide comprehensive care to patients who have been violently injured in the Hampton Roads community through advocacy, addressing psychological trauma, individualized service planning, and clinical case management services rendered in the hospital and community settings.

Program Goals

Provide trauma-informed services to address social determinants of health which will promote positive health outcomes and reduce risk for reinjury.

Objectives:

  • Reduce the number of patients who present to CHKD as a result of a violent injury sustained in the community.
  • Address risk-factors for repeat injury.
  • Utilize person-centered planning to connect patients to important resources and services in their community.
Participant Criteria

Participation in Safer Futures is limited to CHKD patients and families who present to our hospital with injuries sustained from an act of violence in the community. These injuries typically include gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and/or injuries from a physical assault. 

Refer to Our Safer Futures Program

Refer a child that has been impacted by community violence to the CHKD Safer Futures Program.

Safer Futures intervention specialist Vickie Madison and former program coordinator Kamron Blue pictured with Dr. Antipas Harris, president of the Urban Renewal Center.

CHKD Safer Futures Team Receives Hope Award

Recently presented with a Hope Award at the annual Evening of Hope hosted by the Urban Renewal Center, CHKD’s Safer Futures team was recognized for their work helping children and families who have been impacted by community violence.

CHKD's Safer Future team with their Healthcare Hero award

Safer Futures Team Named 2024 Healthcare Heroes

Our Safer Futures team was recognized as a 2024 Healthcare Hero by The Virginian Pilot's Inside Business. Safer Futures intervention specialist Vickie Madison, MA, and program coordinator Kamron Blue, LCSW, received the award on behalf of CHKD.

Did You Know?

  • In 2019, nearly 40,000 Americans were killed by gun violence, more than the number of Americans killed in car crashes.
  • An additional 71,000 Americans suffered nonfatal firearm injuries.
  • Exposure to gun violence can negatively impact a child’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Children who are exposed to gun violence are at increased risk for developing mental health diagnoses such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety; engaging in substance abuse, and cognitive and developmental delays. These children are also at higher risk for engaging in volatile behaviors in the home, school, and community settings.
  • Other risk factors include socioeconomic disadvantages, poverty, lack of access to adequate medical and mental health services, and easy access to firearms in lower socioeconomic communities.

Shayla Callis, Intervention Specialist

Shayla Callis, Safer Futures Intervention SpecialistShayla Callis, MA, is an accomplished Intervention Specialist with the Safer Futures Program, dedicated to supporting families and youth. Having grown up in Hampton, Virginia, she now resides in Suffolk with her husband and their twin daughters. She earned her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Old Dominion University, followed by a graduate degree in Human Services Counseling.

Shayla has a rich professional background, having worked extensively with Child Protective Services Investigations. Additionally, she has served as a community-based counselor, focusing on youth and families across Hampton Roads. Her expertise lies in trauma-informed care, where she collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive support to families in need. Her commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of adolescents and their families is evident in her work.

Vickie Madison, MA, Intervention Specialist

Vickie Madison, MA, Clinical Case Manager for CHKD's Safer Futures ProgramVickie Madison, MA, is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is an alumnus of Norfolk State University. She holds a BA in psychology and a MA in community clinical psychology. She has completed extensive postgraduate coursework at Old Dominion University. She is also a resident in counseling and a certified General District Court mediator.

Her prior work experience includes substance abuse counseling, school based mental health counseling, college and career readiness counseling and coordination, non-profit organization management, and project management with the Saint Paul’s Community Revitalization Project.

She and her husband Mark are the proud parents of three adult children and a cat named “Kat.”

Kayla Wilson, MSW, Program Coordinator

Kayla Wilson, Safer Futures Program Coordinator

Safer Futures program coordinator Kayla Wilson, MSW, holds a BA in Sociology from Bridgewater College and a Master of Social Work from Norfolk State University. Kayla is pursuing her doctorate in Human Services and is on the path to obtaining her LCSW as a supervisee in social work.

Her prior professional experience includes trauma and rehab social work, working with victims of domestic violence and homelessness, as well as an internship within a hospital violence intervention program at a level one trauma center. Her clinical interests focus on supporting individuals affected by community and interpersonal violence.

Kayla is passionate about community engagement and advocacy outside her professional commitments. She actively volunteers with the American Diabetes Association and served as a court advocate. Additionally, she has designed and led training sessions for healthcare staff on trauma-informed social work practices within a hospital setting.