Can Medicaid help those affected by gun violence? In California, a new system could help people rebuild their lives

Hospital-based violence intervention programs could soon see funds provided by Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program

Josh Hatcher remembers the date: 11 April 2021. He was picking up a friend at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland, California, and a ride-share car was holding up traffic. He and the driver got into an argument and both men got out of the car. Hatcher's friend warned him that the driver might have a gun and that they should go. But as he moved to get back in the car, shots rang out. Five of them hit Hatcher - a father of three - in the back, close to his heart.

When he woke up in the hospital, a frontline worker named Carlos met him there. Carlos, an Oakland native who shared common ground with Hatcher, was working with the Oakland non-profit Youth Alive. Programs like Youth Alive meet survivors of gunshot or stab wounds in the hospital, and fast - when the need is greatest. It's at this moment that survivors are at their most vulnerable. They're recovering from wounds, questioning their safety and facing a higher risk of re-injury and perpetuation of violence through retaliation.