Mass shootings in America continue to devastate families and reshape communities in ways that extend far beyond what the public sees. The headlines fade, the cameras turn away and the nation moves on — but survivors do not. Their trauma, their grief and their financial burdens linger long after the initial shock. It is in these moments, when the world grows quiet, that true leadership is tested.
We give thanks to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Maine Gov. Janet Mills for their understanding and empathy following mass shootings in their states. They understand that families and those injured require financial assistance long after the police go home and cameras no longer shine on these much too frequent tragedies. Both Virginia and Maine are now proactively prepared for sustainable financial assistance through mass violence care funds, which have been incorporated into their emergency response plans. In Virginia, we also look forward to working with Gov.-Elect Abigail Spanberger as she continues this critical commitment to long-term care and survivor support in the years ahead.
These leaders recognize a hard truth: State victims’ compensation programs, while vital, are often limited or cannot provide reimbursements for mass shooting survivors due to certain restrictions. These sustainable and non-reverting mass violence care funds, dollars invested by the state, will be available for both long-term, physical and psychological trauma-related care needs that insurance does not cover, modeling a unique program favorably used by the families and survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007 during the past 16 years. As a result, eligible recipients have been reimbursed $745,000 for out-of-pocket medical care and trauma-related expenses from 2009 to 2024, according to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.
This model proves what survivors and advocates have long known: Long-term care is not optional — it is essential. Trauma does not operate on a timeline, and healing does not happen in a news cycle. Youngkin and Mills have chosen to confront that reality with foresight, compassion and a commitment to sustained care.
As we enter a recessive economy and the federal government provides less to states rather than more for the needs of its citizens, and as families and survivors of mass shooting events enter a season of holidays where words of thanks or happiness will not be uttered and where seats normally occupied by their loved ones are empty, the loss, pain, grief, anguish and unaffordability of care should remain in the forefront of our leadership, institutions and community.
This holiday season, when so many families are navigating the compounded weight of personal loss and financial strain, our nation must confront the ongoing reality of mass violence with honesty and urgency. Rising inflation, shrinking federal resources and increasing mental-health needs create an environment where many survivors cannot afford the care required to rebuild their lives. Without intervention, trauma becomes generational and preventable suffering becomes inevitable.
Following the bipartisan leads of Youngkin and Mills, we look forward to the promise of leadership in the New Year to take action in caring for their citizens when the worst days of their lives happen.
Creation of a mass violence care fund is the best thanksgiving we can advocate for in 48 other states that have yet to honestly acknowledge the critical need for these sustainable funds amidst rising trends in a sickening societal epidemic of mass gun violence.
If the holiday season is meant to remind us of our shared humanity, then let it remind us of this: Supporting survivors is not charity. It is responsibility. It is leadership. And it is the truest expression of gratitude for the lives that continue — despite unimaginable loss.
Jen Herbstritt of Centerville is president of VTV Family Outreach Foundation. Joe Samaha of Centerville is director of victim advocacy and outreach for VTV Family Outreach Foundation / VTVCare. VTVCare is a survivor-led, Virginia-based nonprofit committed to supporting individuals and families affected by acts of mass violence.
