The Rising Cost of Community Violence

Community violence remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Muskegon County and across the State of Michigan. Recently, I had the opportunity to share with the Rotary Club of Muskegon (click here to watch) specific examples of firearm-related injuries my colleagues and I have treated over the years.

Beyond its traumatic effects on individuals, families, and communities, community violence undermines the financial stability of healthcare systems and the profitability of insurance payers.

To better understand this impact locally, we conducted a four-year retrospective study of firearm-injury victim admissions, charges, and payer reimbursements. Among the 307 firearm-related victims treated, Michigan Medicaid reimbursed hospitals $4.8 million for their care. However, hospitals overall incurred financial losses providing treatment to these victims.

Community Violence Prevention

Based on the findings of this study and with support from the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we’ve been screening and offering at-risk teens presenting to the Trinity Health Emergency Room an evidence-based youth violence prevention intervention called SafERteens for the past 18 months.

Implementing SafERteens in a busy emergency room has required overcoming numerous funding and process challenges. However, we’ve found that utilizing a specially trained Community Health Worker (CHW) to deliver these interventions is invaluable.

Currently, there is no mechanism for CHWs to bill Michigan Medicaid for community violence prevention interventions. This lack of sustainable funding makes it difficult to expand this model to other sites within or beyond our community.

Investing in Community Violence Prevention – Michigan House Bill 6046

On November 13, 2024, Representative Christine Morse introduced Michigan House Bill 6046 into the Michigan State House. The bill, now in the House Health Policy Committee chaired by Representative Julie Rogers, would allow trained CHWs to bill Michigan Medicaid for Community Violence Intervention (CVI) services.

Since its introduction, HB 6046 has gained widespread support from stakeholders across Michigan, including physicians, hospitals, county prosecutors, law enforcement, public schools, and communities.

Safer Communities & SafERteens

I encourage you to read HB 6046 and consider how it could reduce preventable injuries, lower healthcare costs, and make our communities safer.

You can actively help me create bi-partisan support for this bill by calling, writing, or e-mailing your respective Michigan State House Representative and asking them to vote ‘Yes’ on HB 6046.

Working together, we can legislate a sustainable model for the delivery of community violence prevention interventions to our most vulnerable youth and help make Michigan a happier and safer place to live for all of us.