Jun 03, 2021 - 09:40 AM by Mary Beth Kingston Violence continues to be a pervasive problem in our society and directly affects the health and well-being of millions of individuals, families and communities. Nationally, we experience violence in many forms – mass shootings, human trafficking, physical and sexual assault, threatening behavior and more. This past year we witnessed peaceful protests, but also violence related to racial and social injustice and political differences. In the midst of grief and fear, hospitals and health systems remain committed to putting an end to violence of all kinds. Our hospitals and health systems are not immune to violence, but they have made great efforts to curb it. June 4 marks the AHA’s fifth annual #HAVhope Friday – a day of awareness highlighting how America’s hospitals and health systems combat violence in their workplaces and communities. Developing local and national partnerships focused on prevention, offering education and programs to identify and care for victims of violence, and implementing processes to provide a safe, healing environment for patients and health care teams are just a few strategies used to combat violence within health care settings.