SHERI GUY UAB PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN HELPING THESE SURVIVING GUNSHOT VICTIMS AND PUTTING AN END TO RETALIATION SHOOTINGS IN BIRMINGHAM. NOW, THIS PROGRAM TARGETS JEFFERSON COUNTY RESIDENTS, 19 YEARS OLD, TO 39. TIMOTHY LANIER IS A TRAINED INTERRUPTER WHO STEPS IN HELPING SURVIVING GUNSHOT VICTIMS BEFORE THEIR DISCHARGE FROM UAB HOSPITAL. WHEN WE WALKED IN, HE SAID, MAN, I鈥橫 SO GLAD TO SEE Y鈥橝LL. OTHER CLIENTS WALKED IN. MAN, I鈥橵E BEEN WAITING ON Y鈥橝LL. I鈥橫 READY TO DO WHAT I NEED TO DO TO GET MYSELF TOGETHER. OFFENDERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IS THE CASE MANAGER AT BIRMINGHAM CITY UAB, AND JEFFERSON COUNTY鈥橲 HEALTH DEPARTMENT CHOSE TO TAKE THIS BIG TASK OF CONVINCING A GUNSHOT VICTIM NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SURVIVING A GUNSHOT WOUND OVER FIVE YEARS. 20% OF THEM WILL BE DEAD BY THE END OF FIVE YEARS. OVER 40% WILL BE RE HOSPITALIZED WITH ANOTHER VIOLENT INJURY. SO WE鈥橰E TRYING TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, KEEP THESE FOLKS SAFE. THAT SAFETY COMES WITH THE RIGHT RESOURCES. WE鈥橰E VERY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE RELOCATED ONE OF OUR CLIENTS. WE鈥橰E HELPING WITH FAMILY ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR CLIENTS, UAB DOCTORS SAY LAST YEAR THE TRAUMA CENTER CARED FOR 1300 PEOPLE. THAT鈥橲 FOUR TIMES MORE THAN IN 2010. WHILE THIS IS NOT A TOTAL SOLUTION TO THE EPIDEMIC OF FIREARM INJURY IN OUR COMMUNITY, IT IS A VITAL COMPONENT OF AN OVERALL COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION STRATEGY. SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN FEBRUARY, LANIER SAYS THEY HAVE SEVEN CLIENTS. HE ADMITS PEOPLE HAVE DECLINED THE SERVICE BECAUSE IT鈥橲 NEW. BUT HE SAYS THIS YOU NEVER KNOW IF IT WORKED UNTIL YOU DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THIS PROGRAM IS ABOUT $3 MILLION. IT SHOULD LAST FOR A FEW YEARS. THE INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS TELL ME THEY DON鈥橳 WORK WITH POLICE DIRECTLY WHEN IT COMES TO THESE CLIENTS. THEIR FOCUS, THEY SAY, IS THE VICTIM AND MAKING SURE THEY HAVE THEIR NEEDS
Violence intervention program underway at UAB hospital for surviving gunshot victims
Program launched in February. Offenders Alumni Association is the case manager working with victims to not retaliate after shooting
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Updated: 5:55 PM CDT May 3, 2023
Timothy Lanier is a trained interrupter who steps in to help surviving gunshot victims before they're discharged from UAB hospital. 鈥淲hen we walked in, he said, 'man, I'm so glad to see y'all. Other clients, we walked in, 'Man, I've been waiting on y'all.' I'm ready to do what I need to do to get myself together," Lanier, a violence intervention specialist, said.Offenders Alumni Association is the case manager Birmingham City, UAB, and Jefferson County's Health Department chose to take this big task of convincing a gunshot victim not to retaliate. "After surviving a gunshot wound after five years, over 20% of them will be dead by the end of five years. Over 40% will be hospitalized with a reinjury. We want to prevent that from happening and keep these folks safe,鈥� Dr. Mark Wilson, the director for the Jefferson County Department of Public Health, said.That safety comes with the right resources."We're happy to have relocated some of our clients. We help with family engagement with some of our clients,鈥� Carmone Owens said. Owens supervises the violence intervention specialists.UAB doctors say last year, the trauma center cared for 1,300 people, that's four times more than in 2010."While this is not a total solution to the epidemic of firearm injury in our community, it is a vital component of an overall community violence intervention strategy,鈥� Dr. Jeffery Kirby, the Director of UAB's Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, said.Since its launch in February, Lanier says they have had seven clients. He admits people have declined the service because it's new, but Lanier says this to encourage people to reconsider: 鈥淵ou'll never know if it works until you do something different.鈥漈his is about a $3 million program that will go on for a few years. The specialists tell 米兰体育 14 they do not work directly with police during these interventions. Their priority, they say, is the victim and making sure they don鈥檛 become a statistic.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Timothy Lanier is a trained interrupter who steps in to help surviving gunshot victims before they're discharged from UAB hospital.
鈥淲hen we walked in, he said, 'man, I'm so glad to see y'all. Other clients, we walked in, 'Man, I've been waiting on y'all.' I'm ready to do what I need to do to get myself together," Lanier, a violence intervention specialist, said.
Offenders Alumni Association is the case manager Birmingham City, UAB, and Jefferson County's Health Department chose to take this big task of convincing a gunshot victim not to retaliate.
"After surviving a gunshot wound after five years, over 20% of them will be dead by the end of five years. Over 40% will be hospitalized with a reinjury. We want to prevent that from happening and keep these folks safe,鈥� Dr. Mark Wilson, the director for the Jefferson County Department of Public Health, said.
That safety comes with the right resources.
"We're happy to have relocated some of our clients. We help with family engagement with some of our clients,鈥� Carmone Owens said. Owens supervises the violence intervention specialists.
UAB doctors say last year, the trauma center cared for 1,300 people, that's four times more than in 2010.
"While this is not a total solution to the epidemic of firearm injury in our community, it is a vital component of an overall community violence intervention strategy,鈥� Dr. Jeffery Kirby, the Director of UAB's Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, said.
Since its launch in February, Lanier says they have had seven clients. He admits people have declined the service because it's new, but Lanier says this to encourage people to reconsider: 鈥淵ou'll never know if it works until you do something different.鈥�
This is about a $3 million program that will go on for a few years. The specialists tell 米兰体育 14 they do not work directly with police during these interventions. Their priority, they say, is the victim and making sure they don鈥檛 become a statistic.
