position is dedicated to injury prevention , another is dedicated strictly to outreach , and there are two trauma social workers , Lindsey and Latasha , who provide patients with bedside therapeutic counseling and interventions . They work closely with KJ and are critical to the work done by Pivot to Peace .”
There are times where individual situations of violence may lead to dramatic situations within the confines of the hospital . Families and friends may arrive grieving , anxious or excited . If their behavior interferes with , or endangers , hospital staff or patients , a team of interventionists is called in to help .
“ When my team is called , our goal is to try and calm down these people who are reeling from an emotional situation . We get them information they need and keep them from disrupting treatment their loved one is getting ,” said Dr . Eddie Woods , a doctor of criminal justice who has worked in the tactics of de-escalation and understanding youth violence for decades . In 1995 , he created a program with Peace Ed and KJ ’ s father , Kevin , called “ YPHAL ( or why fall ?)” which was dedicated to helping at-risk young people . It lasted five years and won a Housing and Urban Development Award for best practiced program in that time .
“ I developed a reputation for the ability to interact with young people who were in dangerous settings . The non-violence practices we were teaching were working ,” Dr . Woods said .
In 2011 , Metro Council members David James and Cheri Bryant Hamilton approached him about creating an anti-violence group called No More Red Dots . With support from the city and Lift a Life Foundation , Dr . Woods partnered again with Peace Ed . He and a small team began to make connections on the streets , identifying 25 well-connected individuals they could rely on for information and relationship building .
“ We have 25 networks coming together for a common cause . If someone gets shot , we know shortly after it happens , we know why it happened and , in some cases , we know who did it . Our primary focus is to get in front of the shootings ,” he explained .
Sometimes that means literally : “ We de-escalate every day . We ’ ve looked down a lot of barrels . We ’ ve stood between guys with pistols and the victim they wanted to finish off . You ’ re talking fast to try to calm them down . It ’ s always a delicate situation .”
The breadth of the work done by Dr . Woods and his team is staggering . He estimates they average approximately 600 interventions and mediations each month across the city of Louisville . With that level of experience in high intensity settings , Dr . Woods and his team were a natural fit to support hospital staff and potential Pivot to Peace clientele at the UofL Hospital Trauma Center .
“ Eddie is a huge resource for our staff ,” said Annabelle Pike . “ With his team there , they aren ’ t worrying about calming down mom or dad or all the people who show up for a victim . It lets the nurses go back to what they do best , and I know they appreciate the support he provides them . A lot of people know Eddie . If you ’ re in this horrible traumatic situation , it helps to have a familiar face to calm you down .”
Dr . Woods agreed , expressing gratitude for the work done by nurses and hospital staff . “ I have the highest praise for emergency room professionals . I get to see firsthand what they deal with . The most functional ERs I ’ ve been around are the ones with folks who not only do a good job , but are very compassionate people .”
Peace Ed is another member of the Pivot to Peace Collaborative . Dedicated to teaching nonviolent conflict resolution , Peace Ed has worked with community partners to designate more than 150 Louisville community sites and schools as violence-free areas . Of the participants who have been referred to Peace Ed , 95 percent have successfully abstained from further injury or violence in retaliation .
“ We want to help folks as they make that dramatic change toward safety and respect and a better life ,” said Peace Ed Executive Director Eileen Blanton . “ I ’ m amazed at the work done by the Pivot to Peace case workers and Deborah Barnes-Byers for those people who have had so many doors slammed in their faces . When you have hurdles all your life , some obstacles feel totally insurmountable . If some of these folks didn ’ t have case workers helping them navigate the system , I think they would have given up .”
Peace Ed ’ s three-day conflict resolution class includes mediation and ways to face conflicts in a peaceful manner . It is essential for teaching those who are looking to escape a cycle of violence new means of avoiding escalation .
“ We need to look at violence more clearly as a public health issue that in many ways has reached epidemic proportions . It ’ s bigger than individuals killing each other . There ’ s a whole system which perpetuates violence ,” she said .
A common theme of those looking to end violence through education and love is personal connection . Sometimes , that connection is extremely powerful . Deborah Barnes-Byers has been called grandmother and even mom by troubled souls going through the program . Sometimes the love a support person gives to troubled souls may lead to their own vicarious trauma . “ There are times I have to shut down ,” she said . “ I ’ ve learned when I leave here , I leave everything here . I don ’ t take it home for me .”
For KJ , these connections mean there are areas of his own place of work which cause him emotional pain to visit . “ There was a situation that hurt . I was asked , ‘ KJ , do you want to be in the room when they withdraw care ?’ I didn ’ t necessarily want to go in , but I went . The man was alert . Everyone got around him and we said the Serenity Prayer . Everybody in the room broke , including myself . He was a fighter . They withdrew care at midnight , he was gone at 5 am . I don ’ t even go to that particular floor of the hospital when I can help it because of what happened there . When I do , I think about him .”
The amazing work being done by Pivot to Peace and its partners : No More Red Dots , Peace Ed , Louisville Metro Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and the UofL Trauma Center have empathy and a commitment to ending violence in common . By sharing the feelings of those less fortunate , of those who have suffered , their burdens are eased . If enough people share these goals , great change can take place .
“ You don ’ t have to experience what another person has experienced in order to relate to them ,” KJ said . “ You just have to show you care .”
VITAL SIGNS Volume 13 • Issue 3 5
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Aaron Burch is the communications specialist for the Greater Louisville Medical Society .