Erie County Medical Center Trauma Recovery Center Opens

ECMC’s Violent Crime Victim Support Program is the Second NYS Office of Victims Services-funded program in the state to attain national designation from the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers

BUFFALO, NEW YORK – ECMC today celebrated the opening of its new satellite Trauma Recovery Center, that is affiliated with the institution’s BRAVE (Buffalo Rising Against Violence) initiative, which is a hospital-based violence intervention trauma recovery effort that serves individuals who have experienced acute victimization and violence.

In October 2023, ECMC’s BRAVE program achieved designation/certification as Western New York’s only Trauma Recovery Center (TRC). It is only the second NYS Office of Victims Services(OVS)-funded program in the state to attain that distinction from the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers (NATRC); the other TRC in the state is located in Brooklyn. There are only 52 TRCs in the United States.  It’s a successful model that treats victims of violence holistically and proactively through comprehensive case management and assertive outreach. The goal is to meet people where they are and ensure they have basic needs met (stable housing, food, healthcare), so they can move from surviving trauma to healing. Developed in 2001, the evidence-based Trauma Recovery Center (TRC) model is designed to provide emergency support, clinical care, and wraparound case management to help survivors in communities most impacted by violence stabilize in moments of crisis, heal from trauma, and address their needs in the wake of victimization.

Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., PhD, ECMC President and CEO said, “Since the inception of the BRAVE program in 2019, and now with the national Trauma Recovery Center designation, our dedicated caregivers provide holistic therapeutic services for individuals who have experienced an acute violent victimization. As our region’s only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center, these services through BRAVE and the TRC are critically important in victims’ recovery and building patients’ lives back after such destabilizing events.”

Gena Castro Rodriguez, Psy.D., LMFT, Executive Director, National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers said, “We are so happy to welcome BRAVE to the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers. We have been so impressed with the team’s passion and commitment to helping violent crime survivors heal and recover. We are confident BRAVE will be a huge asset to the entire Buffalo community!”

ECMC’s BRAVE TRC serves individuals and their families from the communities of WNY who have experienced trauma as the result of violence or abuse including: gun violence, stabs, interpersonal violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and elder abuse.

ECMC’s BRAVE TRC welcomes individuals regardless of immigration status, personal identities, mental health, or substance use diagnosis. Eligibility of BRAVE TRC services includes: individuals referred by ECMC staff or a community partner agency, families of homicide victims, individuals who have experienced a violent crime or domestic violence within the past 3 years, individuals 18 years or older, and residents of New York State.

Paula Kovanic-Spiro, LMSW, MPH, Director of ECMC’s BRAVE Trauma Recovery Center said, “The opening of the BRAVE Trauma Recovery Center represents the culmination of five years of dedicated victim services to the Buffalo community. Our hope is to intentionally address the needs of underserved crime survivors who often face the biggest barriers to accessing healing services. Through the services and expertise of this team individuals can begin the very hard job of regaining security and stability.”

State Office of Victim Services Director Bea Hanson said, “Trauma Recovery Centers work because they treat victims of violence holistically through comprehensive case management and proactive outreach to ensure their basic needs are met. When individuals have stable housing, health care and other support, they can move from surviving trauma to healing and thriving. OVS proudly partners with ECMC to fund BRAVE, and I’m thrilled that this new location expands access to its critical support and services.”

State Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, “Our SNUG team works with BRAVE and plays a key role in driving down gun violence, connecting individuals with services and opportunities, and providing trauma-informed counseling to individuals affected by gun violence. BRAVE complements and expands upon this work, and I commend our partners at Erie County Medical Center and the Office of Victim Services for providing these essential services for all victims of violence.”

ECMC’s BRAVE TRC recognizes that each person’s path to recovery and healing looks different. Our role as a TRC is to foster inquiry, hold hope, and partner with individuals along their own path through use of evidence-based, trauma sensitive, and culturally responsive services. Our multidisciplinary team, consisting of hospital responders, social workers, psychologists, and physician champions, provides coordinated care structured to meet the needs of survivors to promote wellness, safety, and stabilization. ECMC’s BRAVE TRC provides both inpatient and outpatient services.

Inpatient services offered include:

• Crisis response to patients presenting in the Emergency Department for trauma injuries related to violence (GSW/Stab Wounds) or immediate safety concerns (domestic/family violence, trafficking, elder abuse)
• Bedside Therapeutic Support
• Safety and needs assessments
• Support for family members, including end of life and grief counseling
• SNUG Hospital Responder
• Harm-Reduction interventions for individuals at-risk for shooting or getting shot
  • Including referral to SNUG program
• Referrals to community-based services

Outpatient services offered include:

• Trauma focused, evidence based therapeutic services
  • Our clinical therapists are proficient in therapeutic modalities including:
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
    • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
    • Grief and Loss
    • Internal Family Systems
    • Somatic Based Interventions
    • Brainspotting
• Post-discharge follow-up and support
• Intensive clinical case management
• Law enforcement education and support
• Court accompaniment and advocacy
• OVS applications (Crime Victims Reimbursement)
• Transportation Assistance for medical and mental health appointments

About the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corporation: The ECMC Corporation was established as a New York State Public Benefit Corporation and since 2004 has included an advanced academic medical center with 573 inpatient beds, on- and off-campus health centers, more than 30 outpatient specialty care services and Terrace View, a 390-bed long-term care facility.  ECMC is Western New York’s only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center, as well as a regional center for burn care, behavioral health services, transplantation, medical oncology and head & neck cancer care, rehabilitation, and a major teaching facility for the University at Buffalo.  Most ECMC physicians, dentists and pharmacists are dedicated faculty members of the university and/or members of a private practice plan.  More Western New York residents are choosing ECMC for exceptional patient care and patient experiences – the difference between healthcare and true care ™.