Citation

Richard Holt G, Benjamin GC, C Grossman D, O'toole ME, Sakran JV. Perm. J. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Kaiser Permanente)

DOI

10.7812/TPP/22.099

PMID

35939570

Abstract

The United States is unique among developed nations in its frequency of experiencing mass shooting incidents. In 2021, 691 mass shootings claimed the lives of 705 Americans.1 Media coverage during the spring and summer of 2022 leapt from a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, to an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, to a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to a street fight in Philadelphia, to name a few--barely able to begin coverage of one event before the next shooting and subsequent loss of life and harm to communities occurred.

Easy access to weapons, shortage of mental health resources, and the prospect of new gun control legislation on Capitol Hill often take center stage in discussions surrounding mass shootings. In an interview with Becker's Hospital Review,2 Ramin Davidoff, MD, co-CEO of The Permanente Federation, called attention to the need for all health care organizations to provide safe work environments for all clinical staff as an important component in providing high-quality health care. The Permanente Journal brought together this expert panel on July 12, 2022, to approach the conversation from a medical-psychological-social perspective to discuss gun violence and mass shootings as a public health priority within the United States...

Language: en