Healthcare Pros Talk Gun Violence At The White House

BAY SHORE, NY – Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States, having claimed the lives of over 43,000 Americans in 2023 alone, a devastating statistic that led healthcare pros to the White House on Thursday to discuss public health strategies to prevent gun-related deaths.

Today, Northwell Health commemorated National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 7 and “Wear Orange” Weekend aiming to promote firearm safety and reduce street violence, suicide and unintentional shootings.

Beginning Thursday evening and running through the weekend, Northwell’s corporate headquarters and Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore and Staten Island University Hospital, launched hospital-based violence intervention programs were illuminated in orange light signifying the importance of tackling the gun-death epidemic.

“Every movement that creates waves of positive change begins with optimism, hope, and
people working together. Gun violence prevention is no exception and while change can feel
slow, momentum is growing,” said Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling.

On Thursday, Dowling, leaders from Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention and 80 other healthcare execs met with members of the White House Center for Gun Violence Prevention and members of the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention and Safety to discuss safety strategies.

The CEO Council made an initial donation of $10 million toward a $40 million fundraising goal over the next two years to support a national gun violence prevention campaign in collaboration with the Ad Council, which is expected to launch next year.

Northwell also created the Gun Violence Prevention Learning Collaborative for Health Systems and Hospitals in 2021, providing a forum to share best practices and implement strategies for preventing gun-related injuries and deaths. It now includes over 600 participants from 38 states, of which around 40 percent have started or expanded evidence-based firearm injury prevention strategies within their organizations.

The healthcare giant Northwell has also organized five Gun Violence Prevention Forums since 2019 to mobilize healthcare providers and convene policymakers and practitioners. Northwell also received a $1.4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to establish a protocol to screen patients for firearm injury risk by routinely asking them if they have access to a firearm, and if so, how it is stored. In addition, teenage patients are asked if they've ever had a gun pulled on them, gotten into serious fights, and if their friends carry knives, razors or guns.

If a patient is considered at risk, clinicians counsel them on changes they can make to avoid becoming a victim and refer them to violence interrupter programs that provide long-term support. Over the last three years, more than 34,000 patients have been screened.