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In This Issue:
From left: Pauline Barnes, David Crump and Tie'Asia Bennett-Barnes
Pauline Barnes, an admitting officer for BWH Obstetrics, knows firsthand that the loved ones of victims of violence still need support in the weeks, months and years following a tragedy.
In 2012, her son, Rashad Lesley-Barnes, a patient transporter at BWH, lost his life in a senseless act of violence. Barnes has made it her mission to honor her son by walking in the annual Louis D. Brown Peace Institute Mother's Day Walk for Peace, and now, by participating on a new community board at BWH that will help those who have lost loved ones to violence.
"I thought it was important for people to know that after the fact, families still need support," said Barnes. "Even after a loved one is laid to rest, it's not over and done with. People have different ways of dealing with death. They need help after a loss; the board hopes to provide some of those resources."
The community board-led by David Crump and Samantha Wright Calero, of BWH's Violence Intervention and Prevention Program-is comprised of BWHers, including Barnes and her daughter Tie'Asia Bennett-Barnes, physicians and former patients and family members who have experienced violence. The idea for the board arose from focus groups that Crump and Calero held for patients and families their program has served.
"We are trying to expand our program and get better at what we do," said Crump. "We want to hear patients' and families' experiences with our services and involve the community while we are serving them. We need those voices."
The goal is to match community board members who have dealt with violence with community members who need their support. In addition to monthly meetings, this may take the form of Barnes, for example, regularly meeting with another parent affected by violence, or a former victim of violence talking to adults or kids in the community who have survived a stabbing or shooting.
"We want to provide services during the coping and healing period post-discharge by initiating a peer support system for victims of violence and their family members, connecting them with others who have experienced a similar trauma," said Leanna Katz, an occupational therapy graduate student at Boston University and Albert Schweitzer fellow. Katz is working with the Violence Intervention and Prevention Program, a Center for Community Health and Health Equity program with close ties to the Division of Trauma, Burn and Surgical Critical Care.
The community board is also helping with the upcoming 18th annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace and has formed a team called "We Are One"-symbolizing unity with victims and survivors of violence. The team will walk proudly on May 11 in Dorchester.
Of the upcoming walk, Crump said: "I look forward to connecting with families I've worked with, being able to see where they are in their recovery and celebrating their work."
Bennett-Barnes, who is walking again this year in honor of her brother, is passionate about raising awareness of community violence. Since April 2013, there have been nearly 250 shootings in Boston.
"There are shootings going on in the city that people don't know about," she said. "The Mother's Day Walk helps families move forward by helping other families. A lot of people are impacted. We're walking because our loved ones cannot. We want to keep their names alive and let other families know they're not alone."
To learn more about the Mother's Day Walk for Peace, or to join BWH's "We Are One" team, visit mothersdaywalk4peace.org.