It's 2:20 am on Friday morning. The phone rings waking up the HCRT Interventionists. Being on call 24/7 means they are up and moving, leaving the safety of their homes and families to make their way to the hospital where the team will provide services to another family and community who have just been impacted by gun violence. It's a scene that's repeated over and over again. This year, the HCRT has served 184 victims and their families visiting hospitals and crime scenes over 60 times*
Calendar year 2021 was one of the deadliest on record for the city of Hartford. As of this writing, there have been 35 homicides, a 34% increase over 2020.
This year, two new Interventionists and a new Case Manager were added to the team. These additions have added tremendous value and signify beginning the process of building the bench that we hope will continue into 2022.
Members of the HCRT represented frontline workers on several national committees at the HAVI helping to inform and guide emerging best practices. These committees focus on equity for frontline workers, policing policies to protect victims in the hospital, and a racial equity task force.
The Hartford Care Response Team is continuing to provide support to those affected by violence through outreach, case management and connection to wrap-around services.
