How Community Health System Reduced Injury-Related Incidents with CPI Training

De-escalation training for health care is not optional. It is a core driver of team member well-being and patient satisfaction.   

Community Health System recognized the need to better equip team members facing escalating patient interactions with crisis prevention training after noting a rise in violent incidents. To address this growing challenge, Community partnered with CPI to implement crisis prevention and de-escalation training programs in 2022. 

This step began to shift the organization’s system-wide framework for crisis intervention to a trauma-informed, person-centered approach. The leadership team’s commitment to implementing CPI programs has helped Community cultivate a safer culture that supports team member well-being and positive patient outcomes. 

Rising Risks to Team Member Safety in Health Care Settings

Community is a not-for-profit health care system with over 11,000 team members across hospitals and care settings in Central California. The fast-paced, high-stress environments that Community operates in, like many health care organizations, can escalate emotional intensity and create situations with the potential for workplace violence.  

When incidents with injury increased within the system, Community leadership identified the need to shift from a reactive response model to a proactive crisis prevention approach. The organization sought a consistent strategy focused on de-escalation, nonviolent intervention, and team member safety, while maintaining compassionate, patient-centered care. 

Implementing Proactive Crisis Prevention Training

In 2022, Community partnered with CPI to implement Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® and Prevention First™ Training programs as part of an organization-wide framework. These evidence-based programs equip health care professionals with practical skills to recognize early signs of escalation and respond confidently to these challenging situations.  

By adopting a proactive model of crisis intervention, Community began fostering a culture of Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security℠ across its facilities, supporting safer interactions for patients, team members, and visitors across facilities. 

The trainings were initially offered as small, weekly classes built around scenarios that reflected real experiences from Community teams, with the intention of ensuring training quality. As the need to support high-risk care environments like Emergency and Medical-Surgical departments grew, training was expanded to larger, twice-weekly classes. Department leaders integrated training into existing schedules, removing barriers to attendance and emphasizing organizational ownership of workplace safety. 

Prioritizing Programming by Risk Level

Community strategically aligned CPI training programs to team member roles and risk levels: 

• Prevention First™ became a mandatory annual education for all team members  

• Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^® was embedded into onboarding for higher-risk departments 

• Emergency Departments and Medical-Surgical units became key areas of focus due to higher rates of violent incidents 

Transformative Results of Practicing De-escalation Training for Health Care

The impact of CPI training programs on Community culture has been transformative. According to Shari Warner, BSN, CEN, Manager of Emergency Services at Clovis Community Medical Center (a Community facility), “Our team members are calm and are demonstrating a confidence in dealing with escalating patients that they did not have before.”  

The results Community saw since partnering with CPI reinforce the value of proactive, person-centered crisis prevention strategies in health care settings: 

• 1,946 team members have completed CPI training since 2022 

• Emergency Department participation increased from ~10% in 2023 to 67% by 2025 

• • Goal of 100% training participation by the end of 2026 

• 10% reduction in incidents with injury in 2025 compared to 2020 

Inspiring Change Across Health Care Systems

By embedding CPI de-escalation and crisis prevention training into onboarding and ongoing professional development, Community continues to build a supportive culture of safety that facilitates team well-being and positive patient outcomes.   

As Warner said, “CPI training has definitely had a positive impact on our emergency team,” and the strategic decision to incorporate CPI programs has led to reduced incidences of workplace violence. Community teams now have a shared framework for de-escalation, skills to improve communication between caregivers, patients, and team members, and increased confidence in managing difficult interactions.  

CPI’s trauma-informed, person-centered approach to intervention can help health care organizations reduce workplace violence, strengthen team member confidence, and create safer environments. These programs improve well-being for the entire team, not only at work but also in their everyday lives. 

Watch the video below to hear the full story of how Matt Butler, Workplace Violence Prevention Training Specialist, worked with CPI to strengthen safety and well-being at Community.