18 Health System CEOs, 1,300+ Caregivers Implore Congress to Support Biden Gun Violence Plan
The plea from America’s health care CEOs and caretakers -- which was sent to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy -- was the result of a grassroots effort led by Mr. Dowling, Chethan Sathya, MD, the director of Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention, and Joseph Sakran, MD, a gun violence survivor, trauma surgeon and director of emergency general surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Through their advocacy, they helped galvanize health leaders across America to urge Congressional support of hospital- and community-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs). These programs enable health care professionals to screen non-fatal gunshot patients to identify those at greatest risk for re-injury and connect them with support services, including trauma-informed care, job training, and housing.
- Addressing gun violence isn't a Republican issue or Democratic issue -- it's a public health issue.
- Through their advocacy, they helped galvanize health leaders across America to urge Congressional support of hospital- and community-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs).
- Utilizing a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Northwell Health is screening patients for gun violence risk.
- Gun violence is a pressing public health crisis and racial equity issue that requires a public health response, said Fatimah Loren Dreier, executive director of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention.