Health Care Can Help Prevent Gun Violence
Summary
In 2024, Northwell Health committed to expand its work to address gun violence as a public health issue across facilities in its New York-based hospital system, alongside a national public health campaign developed and launched in partnership with the Ad Council and other marketing partners. Northwell will expand its universal screening protocol to cover 17 new Northwell Health locations — for a total of 20 across New York state — with a goal of screening 430,000 patients for firearm risk by 2029. Northwell further aims to serve approximately 10,000 adolescents and young people through the hospital-based violence intervention program over the course of five years and reach close to 3.5 million Americans through a national public education effort. As the convener of the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention & Safety, which has more than 50 members representing nearly 40 states, Northwell seeks to spur action far beyond Northwell’s health system.
Approach
Northwell commits to expanding its work to address gun violence as a public health issue with a three-pronged approach: (1) Expanding risk screening programs at Northwell locations across NY; (2) Strengthening hospital-based intervention and outreach programming with partners in NY; and (3) Increasing public awareness through national education campaigns.
This public health-based approach includes primary (pre-hospital) and secondary (post-treatment) intervention, allowing Northwell to reach people before they fall victim to cycles of violence. Specifically:
Northwell will expand its universal firearm risk screening protocol to cover additional in- and outpatient settings within the hospital system with a goal of screening 430,000 patients by the end of the 5th year. The goal of universal firearm risk screening is to reach patients before they become victims. As part of this program, patients are asked questions about access to a firearm and risk factors for being shot, such as living in a community where gunshots are heard daily or a history of having a gun pointed at you. These questions are asked as part of routine care, no different than screening questions for substance use, car safety, smoking or exercise, with the hope of normalizing and destigmatizing the conversation.
Additionally, Northwell will work closely with community and health care partners to expand the system’s hospital-based violence intervention program (HVIP) . Hospital-based violence intervention is an approach where trusted members of a local community counsel a victim of gun violence while they are in the hospital — and try to build a relationship that addresses the root cause of why they were shot in the first place. Northwell received a $557,500 grant from New York State to begin building a violence intervention program, and it will deepen those efforts through this commitment.
Northwell will leverage relationships with groups like the Ad Council and other marketing agencies to build and execute regional and national public awareness campaigns around safe storage, gun safety, community violence prevention, and mental health risk factors, with a goal of reaching about 3 million Americans across the country.
Northwell also plans to use its leadership position, as the convener of the 50+ member National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention & Safety (which has representation in nearly 40 states) , to spur action far beyond Northwell’s health system. This commitment will enhance those efforts.
Action Plan
Northwell will work toward the following benchmarks:
Year 1: 40,000 new individuals screened
Q1-Q4: 10,000 new individuals screened per quarter
Year 2: 60,000 new individuals screened
Q1-Q4: 15,000 new individuals screened per quarter
Year 3: 80,000 new individuals screened
Q1-Q4: 20,000 new individuals screened per quarter
Year 4: 100,000 new individuals screened
Q1-Q4: 25,000 new individuals screened per quarter
Year 5: 150,000 new individuals screened
Q1-Q4: 37,500 new individuals screened per quarter
To strengthen hospital and community-based intervention and outreach programming, Northwell will work to secure partnerships with: 5 new gun violence prevention groups; 5 new community-based organizations, focused on social determinants like equity, food security, economic mobility, and 5 new corporate partners. Northwell will work toward the following milestones:
Year 1: 3 new partnerships
Q1-2 outreach; Q3-4 finalizing
Year 2: 3 new partnerships
Q1-2 outreach; Q3-4 finalizing
Year 3: 3 new partnerships
Q1-2 outreach; Q3-4 finalizing
Year 4: 3 new partnerships
Q1-2 outreach; Q3-4 finalizing
To increase public awareness through national public education campaigns, Northwell will work closely with existing partners like the Ad Council to secure $4 million in advertising spending with a goal of reaching 2,830,000 Americans. To do that, Northwell will drive toward the following benchmarks: for each of 5 years, gain 14,150,000 impressions per quarter, across mediums (TV, digital, print) , with $200,000/quarter spend.
Background
Gun violence is a public health crisis that traumatizes families and communities, strains health systems, and in 2023 alone, killed more than 40,000 Americans (Gun Violence Archive) . The public health effects of gun violence disproportionately impact communities of color and children. Firearm homicide is the leading cause of death among young Black men in America–more than the next nine leading causes combined (Centers for Disease Control) . Firearm suicide on the other hand, account for more than half of all gun deaths in the and primarily impact Caucasian males, however minorities are increasingly being impacted as well. Whether it be firearm-related homicides and assault, suicide, unintentional injuries, or mass shootings — gun violence affects all Americans no matter what community they live in. And health systems, hospitals, and healthcare workers are uniquely posed to reframe gun violence as a public health issue, and not a political one, with a focus on firearm safety and violence prevention.
The degree of gun violence in America is largely the result of public policy choices. But independent of what the government does, the healthcare industry can make a difference. The specific tools in this commitment, like expanding evidence-based risk screening, strengthening hospital-based violence intervention, and increasing public awareness, can directly save lives.
As institutions whose missions are to keep communities safe, health systems have a unique ability and responsibility to tackle the epidemic of gun violence — using tools like that and the healthcare industry’s unique relationship with patients. Similar approaches were used to tackle substance use and smoking, and even car safety.
Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention works to curb gun violence by conducting gun violence research, developing best practices for hospital systems, and mobilizing a national coalition of over 50 healthcare CEOs and hundreds of healthcare workers to advance gun violence prevention initiatives across the country. Northwell is the largest hospital system and largest private sector employer in New York State.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
Northwell is seeking to raise several million dollars to support the implementation of healthcare interventions that prevent firearm injury and violence, such as those focused on safe firearm storage and hospital-based violence intervention, and to support public education campaigns that compliment these efforts with a focus on safe firearm storage, community violence prevention, and mental health risk factors., As the leading convener of health care leaders on gun violence prevention, Northwell Health is well-positioned to provide research expertise, publish and promote best practices, and create a network of community organizations. Northwell will also continue to invest staff time and resources to research, screening, and partner support.