In 2019, Michael Dowling began reaching out to peers at other leading health systems to garner support in collectively acknowledging and addressing gun violence as a public health crisis. Few were willing to sign on to such efforts.
"I couldn't get anybody," Mr. Dowling, president and CEO of New York City-based Northwell Health, told Becker's. "They all acknowledged that it was an issue, and they were all very appreciative that I was taking the lead on it. But very few of them wanted to engage."
Firearm-related deaths hit an all-time high of nearly 49,000 in 2021 and remain the leading cause of death in children and adolescents. Historically, it was typical and expected for healthcare institutions to shy away from taking a firm stance on controversial political issues. But the tide has begun to turn in the past few years, with a growing pack of prominent voices in healthcare and beyond recognizing and treating gun violence as a nonpolitical health issue.
Mr. Dowling has spearheaded efforts to bring health system leaders together around the cause. In 2021, he launched the Gun Violence Prevention Learning Collaborative for Hospitals and Health Systems, which has since convened more than 600 healthcare professionals to discuss strategies on how their organizations are working to prevent gun violence in their communities. Through that effort, more than 40% of members have said they have started or expanded evidence-based prevention strategies at their organizations. The multi-year effort is in its second phase, which involves developing a national repository and dashboard of health systems' firearm injury prevention initiatives.
Fifty-five CEOs from some of the nation’s largest health systems and children’s hospitals have also joined the CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention and Safety, a group formed by Mr. Dowling. Earlier this month, members of the council met with the White House to review progress that has been made and call attention to areas where more focus is needed, including reducing suicide rates.
For an outsider looking in, three years may seem like a short time for the strides that have been made in breaking down hesitancy among healthcare leaders and building momentum on the issue. But living out the work to get from point A to point B required the right balance of persistence, resilience and patience.
"All of these things are slow processes," Mr. Dowling said. "You can't push it too hard and you've got to appeal to the heart, not just the head."
In reflecting on what he has learned from spearheading the gun violence collaborative, he stressed the importance of constant communication to sustain energy and focus on the issue. For example, every month staff from hospitals across the country who are part of the learning collaborative connect via videoconference to share updates on how different initiatives are going and learn from one another in real time.
Identifying the right people has also been critical, he said. While it is important to have CEOs' support, "you have to then go below that to find out who is the person or group of people who are really committed" to working on gun violence prevention. Northwell has created a team of people who work on gun violence prevention full time, he said.
Any leader looking to enlist support and spur action on societal issues that have long been considered too sensitive, political or complex to get involved in will encounter reluctance that will at times test their willingness to push forward. In these moments, Mr. Dowling said it is imperative not to get bogged down by progress that feels slow or minuscule.
"When you're in the middle of it, time looks long," he said. "But when you look back, it looks short."