Jun 03, 2021 /
News & Media
BUFFALO, NEW YORK—Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corporation and the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services have come together to establish a new collaboration between the state’s SNUG Street Outreach program and BRAVE (Buffalo Rising Against Violence at ECMC). This new endeavor will expand the existing work of both programs to further reduce gun violence and improve services to victims of violent crime in the Buffalo area.
BRAVE is the region’s only hospital-based violence intervention program (HVIP) and SNUG is New York State’s program that treats gun violence as a public health issue and addresses the trauma individuals face due to long-term exposure to violence using credible messengers and providing services to improve lives and strengthen neighborhoods impacted by crime. The partnership allows BRAVE and SNUG to reach victims of gun violence at the time of traumatic injury. SNUG’s outreach workers, social workers and case managers work with ECMC professionals by combining medical treatment and recovery with education, counseling, social services, and case management to change attitudes about guns and violence in a way that can prevent future involvement in violence.
