MetroHealth Receives More than $900,000 to Support Victims of Trauma

CLEVELAND – The MetroHealth System’s nationally recognized Trauma Recovery Center has received $917,765 as part of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s allocation of grants to organizations that support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and other trauma.

“This critical support offers us the continued opportunity to lead in the care that people deserve when they need it most,” said Sarah Hendrickson, Director of MetroHealth’s Center for Health Resilience and Trauma Recovery Center. “Advocating for our survivors is not possible without compassion and pathways. The Trauma Recovery Center at MetroHealth offers both.” 

Over the next year, the funds will be used to expand the work of the Trauma Recovery Center, which provides victims of trauma with counseling, peer support and mentorship programs, care coordination, financial help and other resources. 

“The organizations receiving these grants provide vital resources to families during one of the most difficult times of their lives,” Attorney General Dave Yost said. “It is important that every dollar go to support these victims and help them recover.”

The Trauma Recovery Center’s work took on a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hendrickson said, given the steady climb in domestic violence, child abuse and other crimes as people went into lockdown. MetroHealth’s trauma support services continued to operate throughout the pandemic.

“As people shuttered in their homes, they became more isolated. Many experienced financial ruin, food insecurity and other intense challenges,” Hendrickson said. “In many cases, COVID tipped the scales into violence and traumatization.”

The 2020-2021 award was made possible through grants from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) fund – the same fund that provided start-up funding for the Trauma Recovery Center in 2017. VOCA funds are allocated by the Ohio Attorney General’s office.

Since the Trauma Recovery Center’s launch, more 4,000 patients have been screened for trauma-related resources. In 2019, 375 counseling sessions were completed, and 419 individuals received referrals to community partners. In all, the center served 2,145 clients last year – 1,206 of those were victims of crime.

This year, the Trauma Recovery Center integrated into MetroHealth’s Institute for H.O.P.E.^TM (Health, Opportunity, Partnership and Empowerment), which is focused on fixing the root causes of health problems, by removing obstacles and engaging community partners so more people can access what they need to help them grow, succeed and be healthier.