DEI in The Land: Gun Violence
cleveland.com
This month’s DEI in the Land focuses on an issue that is all too familiar to just about anyone who has practiced Emergency Medicine in an urban setting, and that is gun violence. For us here at University Hospitals, we see victims of gun violence far too often. While we take pride in our ability to work together with our trauma surgery team to swiftly diagnose and treat traumatic injuries, it is also equally important for us to bring light to this issue and the toll it takes on our patients’ communities.
On a national level, the CDC estimated that homicide was responsible for 19,141 deaths in 2019 alone. This translated to almost 600,000 years of potential life lost in just 365 days. While these numbers are startling on their own, what’s even more concerning is that most of this burden has been placed on our minority communities. In the United States, as well as here in Ohio, the leading cause of death for young black men, ages 15-34, is homicide. It is also the second leading cause of death of black male children ages 1-14. Ohio has one of the highest death rates in the country, and Cuyahoga County (home to UHCMC), has the highest in the state.
*For more stats and graphs, go to the CDC/WISKARS Fatal Injury Data website
As a result of these alarming statistics, the medical community has moved towards recognizing gun violence as a public health issue. This means not just treating the acute injury but doing what we can to prevent further injuries from happening.
As healthcare providers, we have come to realize that for many patients with traumatic injuries, their Emergency Department visit may be their only interaction with the healthcare system. While we may only have their attention briefly, we want to take advantage of that moment. We also know that many of us don’t understand what it is like to grow up in a community plagued by violence. Luckily, the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance has teamed up with University Hospitals to provide Violence Interrupters for our patients. These interrupters serve as relatable figures who can connect patients with the resources they may need to avoid becoming the victim, or the perpetrator, of future violence.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance and other groups working to fight gun violence in the Cleveland area and beyond, please check out the links below:
POST BY: DR. DANI RAO, PGY1
FACULTY EDITING BY: DR. LAUREN MCCAFFERTY