Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program (TTVIP)

The MUSC Health Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program (TTVIP) is a hospital-based, trauma-informed violence intervention program that provides assessment, advocacy, wrap-around services, and long-term follow-up to patients — primarily ages 12 to 30 — who have experienced violent injuries or are at risk of violence, and to their families, at MUSC Health’s Level I Trauma Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

TTVIP is built on a public health model that recognizes violence as a preventable condition with complex interpersonal, social, economic, and environmental root causes. The program is a member of The Health Alliance for Violence Interventions (HAVI), a national network of hospital-based intervention programs. TTVIP patient advocates meet patients at their bedside, assess risk factors and goals, and develop individualized plans that address physical, social, and mental health recovery needs.

In addition to direct patient services, TTVIP partners with community agencies, schools, employment programs, law enforcement, and mental health providers to support violence deterrence and intervention across the Charleston tri-county area and the surrounding Lowcountry. The program focuses on connecting patients and families with resources that strengthen support networks and address the social determinants of health that contribute to cycles of violence.

Our services

TTVIP provides comprehensive support to individuals at risk of violence and to victims of violent injuries. Services span assessment, advocacy, connection to resources, and sustained follow-up — recognizing that recovery from violent injury requires more than medical treatment alone.

• Bedside assessment and risk-factor evaluation
• Individualized care planning for physical, social, and mental health recovery 
• Connection to MUSC Health and community resources 
• Linkage to school systems, employment programs, housing support, and family counseling 
• Coordination with law enforcement and victim service organizations 
• Long-term follow-up and advocacy 
• Education and outreach to reduce community violence

How does TTVIP work?

MUSC Health TTVIP patient advocates engage with at-risk and injured patients directly at their bedside during their hospital stay. Advocates assess each patient’s individual risk factors and goals and establish a care plan that supports physical, social, and mental health recovery. After discharge, TTVIP connects patients and their families with MUSC Health and community resources — strengthening support networks, improving social, education, and employment outcomes, and working to prevent repeat violence. The program also partners with community groups and law enforcement to promote violence-deterrence strategies in neighborhoods experiencing high rates of community violence.

• Population served: Primarily youth and young adults ages 12 to 30 who are at risk of or have experienced interpersonal and community violence, plus their families. TTVIP also supports high-risk youth referred from MUSC’s Pediatric Primary Care Clinic. 
• Areas served: The Charleston tri-county area (Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties), with community partnerships extending across the Lowcountry.

Our community partners

TTVIP works closely with both MUSC Health programs and local community agencies to provide comprehensive, coordinated care. Within MUSC Health, we partner with the MUSC Advocacy Program (MAP), the Trauma Resilience and Recovery Program (TRRP), the MUSC National Crime Victims Center (NCVC), and MUSC’s Level I adult and pediatric trauma centers. 

In the community, TTVIP partners with criminal justice victim advocates; school systems and education programs; employment programs; arts and recreation programs; food and housing non-profits; family counseling services; mental health and substance-use programs; and local law enforcement agencies.