Gang members hoping to build new life often look to erase the memories of their criminal lifestyle.
As a result of improving technology, gang tattoo removal programs have sprung up around the country to help former gang members move on with their lives.
A removal program was established at Swedish Medical Center in 1993, located at 501 E. Hampden Ave. in Englewood, as a reaction to Denver's "Summer of Violence."
The program was originally funded by a grant from the Health One Alliance and in recent years had been kept afloat by a combination of hospital funds and donated time from medical staff.
Swedish was forced to suspend their program in October of 2006.
Several other private practices in the south metro area have suspended the program in their clinics.
Although some community leaders point to funding shortages as the reason for the program's demise, other question if the process is dying a natural death.
Proponents of tattoo removal say that removing the gang tattoos helps former gang members move on with their lives.
Dr.
Paul Zwiebel, the physician in charge of the Swedish program, said, "At first, we treated hundreds of kids. Swedish was a very willing partner. Without them the program could not have happened."
The procedure costs between $2,000 to $5,000 per tattoo, according to Zwiebel, and sometimes more for larger tattoos.
The program provided free treatments if the patient provided 25 hours of community service, made written promise to make a lifetime commitment to leave the gang lifestyle and describe how tattoos were holding them back from achieving their goals.
According to Zwiebel, the procedure involves treating the tattoo with a laser that breaks down the ink in the skin.
The body then removes the ink through the immune system. It generally takes several sessions to treat a small tattoo, more sessions for larger tattoos. The procedure can be painful and may result in some scarring of the affected area.
Julie Lonborg, director of planning, business development and marketing at Swedish notes that while the program was popular in its inception, it became plagued with no-shows for the costly and time-intensive procedure.
"There was a lack of interest from the community," Lonborg said. "There were more no-shows than appointments. It became a waste of time."
Rev.
Leon Kelly, the director of Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives in Denver since 1987, worked with gang members and Swedish Hospital to remove tattoos for gang members seeking to start a new life.
"We were trying to give an alternative to folks who wanted to change their life, but a lot of our people weren't willing to follow through. The funding went away, " Kelly said.
Kelly said Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives has suspended their tattoo removal program in favor of other counseling methods.
"Seventy percent of the people we are trying to help come from the system," Kelly said. "There is a stigma that you can't do this, that you can't do that (with gang tattoos). It's a mindset. There are other ways to deal with it. Cover it up. They do make long-sleeve shirts."
Terrance Roberts, 30, a former Bloods gang member and director of The Prodigal Son Initiative in Aurora, still has his gang tattoos. "I looked into (tattoo removal) for myself, but it was a lot of running around," he said. "It (tattoo removal) can be a diversion from other, more successful programs."
"We became frustrated," Kelly said of the program. "We can't save the whole world."
Lonborg stated if the Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper was willing to revive the program, "Swedish would certainly like to become part of the conversation."
Related links:
http://www.therev.org
http://www.swedishhospital.com
http://www.drzwiebel.com
http://www.prodigalsoninc.org/
| Facilitating change |
When the eruption of gang-mediated crime and violence grabbed the front pages of our Denver newspapers in 1993, Mayor Webb formed a task force to stop the violence and address the social problems leading to young people joining gangs.
At that time, a new laser tattoo removal technology became available, and a few of us at Swedish Medical Center saw the opportunity to use the device for the benefit of rehabilitating gang members. Our proposal was well received: to provide free treatment in exchange for community service by former gang members who signed a contract to be employed or in school, out of jail and out of gangs.
To me, this was an example of medical treatment as part of social change.
It was also a great example of the way a hospital contributes to its community.
The program would never have occurred without the commitment of Swedish Medical Center, funding (more than $25,000 a year) and providing the use of expensive equipment, dressings and nursing staff.
Many nurses willingly contributed to aiding the gang members, but without the efforts and persistence of two RNs in particular
Roseann Engblom and
Irene Rosario, the program would have failed.
Initially, some staff and patients were intimidated by the appearance of the former gang members in the clinic. To me, this underscored the right-mindedness of this mission to help remove a distracting veneer that aroused prejudice and precluded employability and acceptance into society for young people who once made a wrong turn. As medical staff, we were so gratified to see the courage and determination of so many among the hundreds of former gang members we treated, as they mainstreamed into school, careers and constructive members of society.
More recently, "ink" has become commonplace in the NBA and the boardroom. The relevance of the Gang Tattoo Removal Program seemed questionable. For years, treating 15 to 17 participants in a morning, with a waiting list for those wanting to have their gang tattoos removed, more recently, the numbers dwindled to four or five.
When we received notice that the program's funding fell short, we accepted the program's termination, but regretted losing this opportunity to help and look in on the lives of so many courageous young men and women who had the conviction and determination to change. Dr. Paul Zwiebel |