RELEASE: Gottheimer Hosts Roundtable, Claws Back More Than $1 Million in Federal Resources to Help Stop Domestic & Community Violence in North Jersey

Resources / Press Share on RELEASE: Gottheimer Hosts Roundtable, Claws Back More Than $1 Million in Federal Resources to Help Stop Domestic & Community Violence in North Jersey Helps Combat Domestic Violence, Shootings, Stabbings, and Other Community Violence; Resources Will Help Support Victims and Their Families Aug 10, 2026 Press Above: Gottheimer announces funding to help stop violence in North Jersey. HACKENSACK, NJ — Today, August 10, 2026, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) hosted a roundtable at Bergen’s Promise in Hackensack with leaders from Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH), law enforcement, local elected officials, and community stakeholders to discuss domestic violence, shootings, stabbings, and other forms of community violence, and the expansion of hospital-based violence intervention services in Bergen County. Gottheimer clawed back more than $1 million in federal resources to expand HUMC’s Community Health Worker Violence Intervention Program (HVIP). The roundtable discussion focused on the expansion of the program, how the federal funding will expand services for victims and their families, and how it will help reduce community violence in North Jersey. Watch Gottheimer’s announcement here . “Keeping Jersey families safe is about as common sense and bipartisan as it gets — and it starts with making sure our hospitals and communities have the tools they need to break the cycle of violence,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “This is exactly the kind of partnership between the federal government, our hospitals, and our community organizations that actually gets things done for people. I’m proud to have fought for this funding. I’m proud it’s coming back to Bergen County where it belongs, and I’m ready to work with all of you to make sure this program succeeds.” “Community violence isn’t just a public safety issue – it is a public health crisis. At Hackensack Meridian Health, we see the real-world impact of this every day, which is why we are building out our community health worker violence intervention program. By reaching people where they are and providing trauma-informed support, our goal is to break the cycle of violence before it repeats. I want to thank Congressman Gottheimer for pulling this group together. Real, lasting safety happens when healthcare systems, law enforcement, and local advocates sit at the same table and tackle this together,” said Dr. Nicole Harris-Hollingsworth, SVP, Social Impact and Population Health at Hackensack Meridian Health . Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are multidisciplinary programs that identify patients at risk of repeat violent injury and connect them with hospital and community-based services to support recovery, address underlying risk factors, and work to reduce future victimization. HVIPs begin working with patients while they are still in the emergency department or hospital, then provide intensive community-based case management and support in the months following an injury. From 2021 through 2026, Hackensack University Medical Center in Bergen County treated almost 3,000 victims of shootings, stabbings, beatings, and domestic violence — accounting for roughly 25 percent of the more than 11,400 violence victims treated across the entire Hackensack Meridian Health network in New Jersey. And these violence intervention programs work: just 5 percent of victims who participate are rehospitalized for another violent injury, compared with 36 percent of those who do not. The federal funding clawed back by Gottheimer will support trained professionals, technology and supplies, and transportation costs needed to serve victims and families across North Jersey. Gottheimer was joined by Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton; Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella; Bergen County Commissioner Steven A. Tanelli; Dr. Nicole Harris-Hollingsworth, SVP Social Impact and Population Health, HMH; Ms. Sarah Lechner, SVP Chief of External Affairs, HMH; Ms. Leslie Eaddy, Manager, Social Impact and Population Health, HMH; Ms. Angelica Santomauro, Community Health Worker, Social Impact and Population Health, HMH; Ms. Katelyn Segilia, Supervisor, Social Impact and Population Health, HMH; Ms. Omna Syed, Manager, Government Relations, HMH; Dr. Abby Lowe, Assistant Director of Quality, Department of Emergency Medicine, HMH; Dr. Aakash Shah, Program Director, Violence Intervention Programs, HMH; Melissa DeBartolo, Director, Bergen County Department of Human Services; Mr. Dean Paskas, CEO, Bergen’s Promise; Shelisa Foster, Chief Operating Officer, Bergen’s Promise; Ms. Kathryn Werheim, Director of Community Resources, Bergen’s Promise; Ms. Shekinah Williams, Youth Justice Operations Manager, Bergen’s Promise; Ms. Jacqueline Yeboah, Behavioral Health Home Nurse Manager, Bergen’s Promise; Ms. Kelly Kopec, Health Promotion Manager, Bergen’s Promise; Mr. Jacques Hryshko, CEO, Family Connections; Dr. Amanda Santana, COO, Family Connections; Ms. La