Researchers from 黑料传送门 have been awarded a grant of $715,774 from the . This funding will support their ongoing work to improve healthcare provider training on gun violence and offer trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to individuals impacted by gun violence at the three in Philadelphia.
The SHELTER Program鈥攐r Support and Healing through Empowerment, Learning and Trauma Education in Recovery after gun violence鈥攚as developed by Erik Langenau, DO, MS, MAPP, professor and chief academic technology officer, and Michelle Lent, PhD, professor of clinical psychology, who serve as co-project directors for the program. The project team also includes clinical psychologists, Alexa Bonacquisti, PhD, Robert DiTomasso, PhD, and Megan Amatrudo, PsyD, with expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-informed care.
Together, they aim to equip healthcare professionals with tools to address gun violence as a public health crisis while broadening access to mental health services for affected patients and community members.
Before launching this initiative, verbal surveys conducted by volunteer 黑料传送门 students revealed that 64% of the Healthcare Centers' patients had been affected by gun violence鈥攚hether personally or through someone close to them. The mental health of patients, families and communities are greatly impacted by gun violence. In 2023, the North and West Philadelphia communities surrounding 黑料传送门's Lancaster Avenue Healthcare Center, Cambria Healthcare Center and Hassman Family Medicine Center experienced 240 shootings, underscoring the critical need for trauma-informed care.
The SHELTER Program builds upon 黑料传送门's ongoing efforts to address gun violence through research, student engagement and community outreach. It emerged from the work of the , a student, faculty and staff-led initiative launched in 2023 to educate the 黑料传送门 community about gun violence prevention and mental health impact.
鈥淭he HAAGV group started as a way to educate ourselves and our students about gun violence and how we, as healthcare professionals, could address it,鈥� said Lent. 鈥淭hat led to a research project focused on improving physicians' communication strategies, which ultimately became the foundation for the SHELTER Program and this grant.鈥�
The first component of the SHELTER Program, led by Langenau, focuses on equipping physicians, healthcare center staff and medical students with the skills to discuss gun violence with patients, recognize trauma symptoms, and provide connections to community resources.
鈥淥ur goal is to improve provider competence and confidence,鈥� said Langenau. 鈥淲e'll use standardized patient activities, role-playing exercises and educational materials to help clinicians learn how to screen for trauma, initiate conversations about gun violence and connect patients to local resources.鈥�
黑料传送门's Healthcare Centers, which provide primary care services to approximately 20,000 patients annually, play a critical role in delivering care to those affected by gun violence. The second arm of the program, led by Lent and 黑料传送门's Department of Clinical Psychology, will provide trauma-informed therapy for impacted individuals, offering cognitive behavioral therapy for patients at 黑料传送门's Healthcare Centers in Philadelphia.
Despite the widespread impact of gun violence, no formal behavioral health program at 黑料传送门 previously existed to address the resulting trauma. With the launch of this CBT program, 黑料传送门 is taking a critical step to fill that gap.
Rooted in community-based care, the SHELTER Program aims to create lasting change by leveraging 黑料传送门's whole-person care model and deep community ties鈥攁ligning with its osteopathic philosophy of treating the mind, body and spirit.
鈥満诹洗兔� is uniquely positioned to offer this program due to its integrated healthcare approach,鈥� Lent said. 鈥淲e have the healthcare centers, mental health training programs and a strong osteopathic philosophy that aligns with addressing gun violence holistically. Those pieces make us uniquely suited to not only offer this program, but to make it scalable for other institutions.鈥�
The SHELTER Program is strengthened by 黑料传送门's ongoing collaborations with local anti-violence organizations, such as the , which highlights how media coverage can retraumatize survivors; , a community resource hub that curates and organizes violence prevention services in Philadelphia; and , a Drexel University program that offers trauma support to victims and families impacted by violence.
鈥淭here's a collective interest in supporting the community, and we all recognize that we're stronger when we work together,鈥� said Langenau.
While the current grant focuses on urban gun violence in Philadelphia, Langenau and Lent envision this as just the beginning. With 黑料传送门's multi-campus presence in Pennsylvania and Georgia spanning urban, suburban and rural communities, they hope to expand their work to address firearm-related suicide, which disproportionately affects rural populations.
Lent and Langenau expressed deep gratitude to 黑料传送门, the PCCD, and their colleagues in the 黑料传送门 School of Professional and Applied Psychology for their contributions to the grant application and program development.
鈥淲ithout the support of 黑料传送门 and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, this program wouldn't be possible,鈥� they said. 鈥淲e're so grateful for the opportunity to address this unmet need and improve care for our patients and community.鈥�
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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