Michael Dowling, CEO and president of Northwell Health, chats with Health Exec Editor Amy Baxter about the role of healthcare organizations in the ongoing gun violence epidemic. Dowling reveals why Northwell Health launched the Center for Gun Violence Prevention in 2020 and how the New York-based health system is taking a leadership role on the issue.
Northwell Health has become a leading voice in the gun violence epidemic after Dowling spoke out about the role of healthcare organizations identifying it as a public health issue. Now, through the Center for Gun Violence Prevention, Northwell Health is bringing together healthcare leaders to take a more active role in ending gun violence and finding solutions.
Physicians and other healthcare workers see first hand the daily consequences of gun violence when patients are rushed to emergency rooms. Gun deaths are also now the leading cause of death in children and teens according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A recent New England Journal of Medicine article on the statics determined there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths in the United States in 2020, which is a new peak.
This has been further highlighted with several recent mass shootings in 2022, including one at a physician's office, killing two doctors.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."