New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health will convene healthcare executives at a forum Dec. 12 to bring awareness to gun violence as a public health issue and organize industry leaders around solutions.
Speakers will include Marisol Martinez, a survivor of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 students and injured 17 others; Mark Rosenberg, MD, former head of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; and John Miller, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism with the New York Police Department.
Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling has been a vocal advocate for addressing gun violence as a public health issue and for mobilizing other hospital and health system leaders to do the same. In a column published by Becker's, he wrote:
"In speaking to my peers across the country, I know many are apprehensive about taking a firm stand on this issue, particularly in this politically toxic environment. Some are concerned about offending their board members, donors, elected officials and other constituents, including patients.
"I'm not oblivious to those considerations, but leadership doesn't hide. True leadership means having the personal courage to speak out and take the heat, particularly on issues that are affecting the health and wellness of our communities. If there was a disease that was killing as many people as guns in this country, we would be mobilizing a national response effort."
As of Dec. 1, the U.S. has counted 385 mass shootings, 408 deaths from gun violence and 1,477 injuries, according to Northwell Health.
Learn more about the Gun Violence Prevention Forum here.
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