Nebraska Hospital Offers Free Violence Prevention Training

A Nebraska hospital is giving its community powerful tools to stop violence before it happens.

CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney has partnered with the S.A.F.E. Center to offer free Green Dot training sessions open to everyone. The program teaches bystander intervention strategies that anyone can use in everyday situations.

Green Dot is a nationally recognized approach to preventing power-based personal violence, including domestic abuse, sexual violence, bullying, stalking, and child or elder abuse. Instead of waiting for violence to occur, it equips people with practical skills to recognize warning signs and safely intervene.

The training focuses on something simple but transformative: changing community norms. When enough people model non-violent behavior and speak up against harmful situations, it creates a culture where violence becomes unacceptable.

"Green Dot aims to shift community norms by encouraging proactive behaviors that model and endorse non-violent norms," said Nikki Gausman, executive director of the S.A.F.E. Center and a Green Dot trainer. "This proactive approach helps create a culture where violence is not tolerated, creating safer, healthier and more respectful environments."

The sessions welcome both Good Samaritan staff and community members. Training will take place in the West Tower Classroom near the hospital gift shop, with clear parking and entrance instructions provided for participants.

The Ripple Effect

What makes this program special is its evidence-based approach to prevention. Rather than responding to violence after the fact, Green Dot gives ordinary people the confidence and know-how to intervene safely in moments that matter.

When one person learns these skills, they can influence their entire social circle. Those people influence others, creating expanding circles of positive change throughout Kearney.

The free training removes financial barriers that might prevent community members from accessing this life-changing education. By opening the sessions to everyone, not just hospital staff, CHI Health Good Samaritan is investing in the entire community's wellbeing.

Communities across the country using Green Dot have seen measurable reductions in violence. Now Kearney residents have the chance to bring those same results home.