Violence prevention services

AN ACT Relating to the availability of community violence 1
prevention and intervention services; adding a new section to chapter 2
74.09 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW.3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 74.09 5
RCW to read as follows: 6
(1)(a) Subject to amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, 7
the authority shall administer funding for programs that offer 8
community violence prevention and intervention services provided by 9
community violence professionals to youth and adults who have been 10
violently injured, are at risk of experiencing violent injury, or 11
have experienced chronic exposure to community violence. The programs 12
may be based at a hospital or at a community organization to which 13
clients are referred by a licensed health care provider. Programs 14
that serve youth must demonstrate the ability to coordinate with the 15
school districts in the area served by the program. Beginning January 16
1, 2027, all community violence professionals must complete training 17
in accordance with the curriculum standards established in section 2 18
of this act prior to providing services. 19
(b) The authority shall provide funds to a minimum of four 20
programs, including at least one program located east of the crest of 21
S-0464.1
SENATE BILL 5273
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Orwall, Cleveland, Dhingra, Hasegawa, Krishnadasan,
Nobles, Saldaña, Salomon, Shewmake, Slatter, and C. Wilson
Read first time 01/15/25. Referred to Committee on Health & Long-
Term Care.
p. 1 SB 5273
the Cascade mountains and at least one program located west of the 1
crest of the Cascade mountains. The authority shall prioritize 2
funding to programs serving communities with high rates of firearm 3
violence. 4
(c) The funding shall be used by programs to: 5
(i) Establish and support program operations necessary to offer 6
community violence prevention and intervention services;7
(ii) Beginning July 1, 2026, coordinate with the department of 8
health to ensure community violence professionals employed by the 9
program receive training in accordance with the curricula standards 10
established in section 2 of this act; 11
(iii) Offer community violence prevention and intervention 12
services, upon referral from a licensed health care provider, to 13
youth and adults who have been violently injured, are at risk of 14
experiencing violent injury, or have experienced chronic exposure to 15
community violence; and 16
(iv) Upon receipt of the approval in subsection (2) of this 17
section, prepare the program to transition to billing medical 18
assistance for community violence prevention and intervention 19
services. 20
(d) Upon receipt of the approval in subsection (2) of this 21
section, the authority may establish time limits for the receipt of 22
funds under this subsection to allow for the establishment of new 23
programs. 24
(2)(a) By July 1, 2026, the authority shall seek approval from 25
the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services to secure 26
federal financial participation in the costs of providing community 27
violence prevention and intervention services through community 28
violence professionals who provide timely interventions for youth and 29
adults enrolled in a medical assistance program under this chapter 30
upon referral by a licensed health care provider if the health care 31
provider determines that the enrollee has been violently injured, is 32
at risk of experiencing violent injury, or has experienced chronic 33
exposure to community violence. 34
(b) Community violence prevention and intervention services under 35
(a) of this subsection must be provided by a community violence 36
professional. Effective January 1, 2027, the community violence 37
professional must have completed training in accordance with the 38
curricula standards established in section 2 of this act.39
(3) For the purposes of this section: 40
p. 2 SB 5273
(a) "Community violence" means an intentional act of 1
interpersonal violence committed by someone who is not intimately 2
related to the victim. 3
(b) "Community violence prevention and intervention services" 4
means evidence-informed, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, 5
supportive and nonpsychotherapeutic services provided by a community 6
violence professional, within or outside of a clinical setting. 7
"Community violence prevention and intervention services" includes 8
the following activities within the scope of practice of the 9
community violence professional for the purposes of promoting 10
improved health outcomes and positive behavioral change, preventing 11
injury recidivism, and reducing the likelihood that victims of acts 12
of community violence may commit or promote violence themselves: 13
Facilitating behavior change, providing social-emotional support, 14
peer support and peer counseling, mentorship, conflict mediation and 15
crisis intervention, care coordination, targeted case management, 16
referrals to credentialed health care providers or social services 17
providers, community and school support services, patient education 18
and screening services, group and individual health education and 19
health coaching, health navigation, transitions of care support, and 20
screening and assessment for nonclinical and social needs.21
(c) "Community violence professional" means an individual 22
identified as a mentor, violence interrupter, community member, 23
credible messenger, advocate, peer, activist, community health 24
worker, or health professional licensed or certified by the 25
department of health who has behavioral health in their scope of 26
practice, who has completed the training in section 2 of this act.27
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.70 28
RCW to read as follows: 29
By January 1, 2026, the department, after consulting with 30
Harborview medical center, shall establish standards for curricula 31
for education programs that train persons to serve as community 32
violence professionals, and provide community violence prevention and 33
intervention services identified under section 1 of this act. The 34
curricula must, at a minimum, include instruction in basic trauma-35
informed care, community-based prevention and intervention 36
strategies, case management, referral practices, advocacy practices, 37
and state and federal privacy requirements. Education programs may be 38
private or public entities that operate on a local, state, or 39
p. 3 SB 5273
national basis, including programs that offer community violence 1
prevention and intervention services under section 1 of this act. The 2
department may adopt rules to establish the curricula standards.3
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