First Response: The specialists helping patients heal from gunshots

In the finale of our three-part series, we hear from professionals who help those affected by gun violence find recovery beyond the hospital bed.

Paul Carter III, Eric Harp and Tarrell Harrison Jr.

In January, then-23-year-old Eric Harp, center, was shot three times from a passing car while walking to the store with his cousins in Renton. One of those bullets shattered his spine, leaving Harp without the use of his legs. During the months he spent recovering at Harborview Medical Center, Harp worked with violence intervention specialists Paul Carter III, left, and Tarrell Harrison Jr., right, to help him heal both physically and mentally from the trauma and adjust to his new life. (Genna Martin/Cascade PBS)

Getting stitched up is just one part of a gunshot wound patient’s recovery. People face a long line of stressors after getting out of surgery.  

That’s where Harborview Medical Center’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Program comes in, to ease the burden on patients as they figure out things like transportation to follow-up appointments, help with paying medical bills and access to trauma therapy. 


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Eric Harp greets attendees

Eric Harp greets attendees after sharing his story at the Cities United Convening, an international violence prevention conference held this year in Seattle, Oct. 2, 2024. Harp was supported by Harborview’s Violence Interruption Program after he was shot and paralyzed earlier this year. (Genna Martin/Cascade PBS)

In our third and final episode of First Response, we hear from Paul Carter III and Tarrell Harrison Jr., two violence intervention and prevention specialists who work closely with Harborview patients after they’ve been shot, about what their work looks like on the ground. We’ll also hear from Mark Rivers of Community Passageways, one of the organizations that Harborview connects patients with as they get close to leaving the hospital.  

Together these three highlight the community-wide effort to help patients and families navigate the hardship and trauma of gun violence. The hope is that these efforts can prevent people from returning to the circumstances that brought them to Harborview in the first place.  

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