Roseville, Sacramento, South Sacramento

How we’re helping youth recover from violence

Kaiser Permanente has joined with The Effort*, a Federally Qualified Health Center that offers primary care, mental health, addiction, and counseling services, to develop the Sacramento Violence Intervention Program (SVIP)*.

SVIP helps young people 15 to 26 recover from violent injuries and lead positive, nonviolent lifestyles. It pairs an intervention specialist with a youth who has been injured through a violent act. The specialist helps develop an intervention plan, links the youth with community services, and follows up for six months.

“Many of the youth involved in gang activity feel there’s no hope, and that they’re going to die young anyway,” says program manager Alicia Romero. “We tell them we understand it’s difficult, but that they’re not alone. Other people have made it out. We talk about their goals and their future. We offer to show them how life can be different.”

Goals for program participants may include:

• improving physical and mental health
• attaining a high school diploma, GED, or vocational or college degree
• employment training

Of the 31 eligible victims of violence referred to the program through our South Sacramento Trauma Department in the second half of 2010, all but two agreed to participate.    

Get help today

If you are being hurt by someone or don’t feel safe at home, talk to your doctor or:

• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline* at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233); TTY: 1-800-787-3224 for the hearing or speech impaired
• View or print a list of Northern California resources that can help with emergency housing, counseling, safety planning, health services, legal services, and more.

*Kaiser Permanente is not responsible for the content or policies of external Internet sites.

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