In June of 2024 20-year-old Quanajia "Q" Riggs-Reed was shot six times while walking to the store. Her extensive wounds were treated at the Trauma Center at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where she spent three days recovering from surgeries that removed the bullets and repaired injuries to her legs.
When she first woke up after her procedures, some of the first hospital staff she met were a psychiatrist and a violence recovery specialist from the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program (PTVRP).
"They introduced themselves and asked if I wanted any mental health services," Riggs-Reed recalled. "I accepted with open arms."
More than a year later, Riggs-Reed's injuries have healed, and she has rebuilt her life after the shooting. She works at Eddie's House in Philadelphia, and recently moved into her own apartment. She remains in regular contact with Rodney Babb, MSW, Lead Violence Recovery Specialist with the PTVRP.
"We text back and forth all the time," she said. "They helped with everything: transportation to physical therapy, they got me set up with talk therapy, they helped me find my job, they even provided me with the deposit for my new apartment. I am so grateful for them."
This month, a Pennsylvania state grant program invested $3 million into hospital violence intervention programs across the Commonwealth, including the one at Penn that helped Riggs-Reed. Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis announced the funding at a press conference held Dec. 11 at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
"Our program simply would not exist without the support from the Commonwealth," said Elinore Kaufman, MD, MSHP, an assistant professor of Surgery in the Division of Trauma, and Medical Director for the PTVRP. "We are so fortunate that with the investment from PCCD we have been able to build partnerships here in Penn Medicine and with funders and community partners throughout the region to continue to grow our program to meet the needs of our community."
