The study surveyed 92 children and 64 caregivers who were participating in the program at the time—52% responded to the questionnaire, leading to the results published in .

Students in the (SNMA) worked closely with UofL Health trauma surgeons and to create the Future Healers Program in 2020. The program helps Louisville youth who have been affected by violence to navigate the trauma, and inspires them to build a better future for themselves and their communities by introducing them to opportunities in the medical field. The partnership has brought more than 100 kids to the program, and its success has inspired Vanderbilt University Medical Center to replicate the initiative in 2023.

The study found that children and their caregivers with significant exposure to gun violence had a positive overall perception of the health care community, a compliment to the longtime goal of the Future Healers founders.

Louisville has seen a significant increase in gun violence within the last decade. The health care response from the , paired with the Future Healer Program, aims to create hope for the kids in this community.

Future Healers, created in part by students at the UofL School of Medicine, builds relationships with children who have been impacted by gun violence.

Students in the UofL Student National Medical Association (SNMA) worked closely with UofL Health trauma surgeons and Christopher 2X Game Changers to create the Future Healers Program. It ultimately helps Louisville youth affected by violence to navigate the trauma and inspires them to build better futures for themselves and their communities by introducing them to opportunities in the medical field. ��

A ceremony on Tuesday, May 9 honored the medical students and showed appreciation for the time and effort they put into building the curriculum and stimulating a real impact on these kids and teenagers. Karen Udoh, who has served as a leader and voice of the Future Healers Program, was recognized with a special send off as she heads to Baltimore to start her residency with the Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine. Udoh will remain a part of Future Healers as an advisor.

Since October of 2020, the partnership has brought over 100 kids to the program.

Louisville has seen a significant increase in gun violence in the last decade, including two mass shootings in the last month. The health care response from the UofL Hospital – J. David Richardson Trauma Center, paired with the Future Healers Program aims to create a hope for the kids in this community.

“On behalf of all those at UofL Hospital, I’d like to thank Old National Bank for helping us save more lives,” said Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer for UofL Health. “This generous gift will enhance our program’s ability to support our community, staff, patients and families by helping us improve our ongoing trauma readiness and family support services at the Trauma Center.��We grieve with our Old National neighbors, and we also share in our Love for Louisville.”

The gift to UofL Hospital was part of $1 million in total donations from Old National in response to the tragic April 10 event.

Donation distribution:

• $600,000 – “” – established by Community Foundation of Louisville
• $150,000 – (supporting Officer Nickolas Wilt)
• $150,000 –
• $100,000 – ��

“From law enforcement representatives who risked their lives to first responders and the amazing team at the University of Louisville Hospital Trauma Center, there were so many brave and selfless individuals who emerged to care for our Old National family members,” said Old National Bank CEO Jim Ryan. “We hope that these gifts reflect our immense gratitude for these heroes and our appreciation for the work of the American Red Cross to ensure life-saving blood is available during the most critical time of need.”

Read more on the .

Gunshot wound survivors Sheronda Morris Jasper, Cierra Twyman Miller and Dionte Reed shared their stories and personal words of thanks to the nurses and physicians for the care that allowed each of them, as well as thousands of other victims of violence, to recover from their wounds.

“We appreciate you putting your blessed hands on us. You put us back together piece by piece, hoping for us to have a better life,” Jasper said. “You put your life aside to make sure our wounds are healed.”

Kimberly Denzik, MSN, RN, trauma program manager, accepted the “Healing & Compassion Award” on behalf of the trauma outreach team. Brian Harbrecht, MD, UofL Hospital trauma medical director, accepted the “Endless Stairway Award” on behalf of the trauma surgeons.

Christopher 2X Game Changers, a foundation established by 2X to reduce crime through educational opportunities, had the awards specially designed for the UofL teams.

“We have witnessed the power of the healing hands of the UofL trauma surgeons and the caring hearts of the trauma outreach team,” 2X said. “These people have helped save thousands of lives that could have been lost to violence in Metro Louisville and beyond.”

Check out video from the event:��

A team of experienced reviewers in the field of trauma conducted an on-site review of the hospital in July, and the hospital received word of the re-verification this month in an official letter. The verification process provides confirmation the hospital has demonstrated its commitment to providing optimal care.

“The re-verification is acknowledgement of all the hard work that happens here at UofL Hospital every day,” said Kim Denzik, MSN, RN, director of the UofL Hospital Trauma Institute. “There is a tremendous amount of work and preparation that goes into the trauma review. There are a lot of people to be thanked for their continued hard work, diligence and commitment to providing the very best care for our patients.”

The re-verification came from the Committee, an ad hoc committee of the group’s .

The Committee on Trauma’s verification program does not designate trauma centers, rather it provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality of trauma care. The actual establishment and designation of a trauma center is the function of local, regional or state agencies. However, verified trauma centers must meet essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance as outlined by the Committee on Trauma.

Having the expert level of care here in Louisville is important to patients like Brandon Clark, who was in a dirt bike accident in March 2017 at age 19.

“I was at my girlfriend’s house racing my brother when the throttle got stuck and I was thrown 53 feet,” Clark said. He was transported from Floyds Knobs, Indiana, to UofL Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken femur and a separated shoulder. He underwent surgery with an orthopedic specialist at UofL Hospital the next morning.

“It was very rough in the beginning,” Clark said. “I was just 19, and I couldn’t even walk. I left the hospital in a wheelchair. I wanted to give up on life. But nobody there let me give up.”

By August 2018, he was walking again at the Kentucky State Fair. It was there he ran into a member of the Trauma Center’s staff, Annabelle Pike.

“I wanted to tell her just how great it felt to be walking again. I wouldn’t be here without the staff at UofL Hospital. They work with you a lot. They want to help you out the most,” he said.

He’s now going to the University of Northwestern Ohio to be a diesel mechanic, and driving home on weekends to do farming and construction work from his home in Ballardsville. On Oct. 16, he said he was able to run a mile, just a year and a half after his stay at UofL Hospital.

He said he’s appreciative of the second chance he was given. “It made me realize you can lose your life in the blink of an eye.”

There are five separate categories of verification in the Committee on Trauma’s program: Level I Trauma Center; Level II Trauma Center; Level III Trauma Center; Level I Pediatric Trauma Center; and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center. Each has specific criteria that must be met. UofL Hospital is one of just two adult Level I Trauma Centers in the state of Kentucky, with the other at the University of Kentucky’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital.