Physicians, medical students and other healthcare professionals plan to rally at more than 40 medical schools across the U.S. Sept. 16, as a call to action to end gun violence.
In an event coordinated by Scrubs Addressing the Firearms Epidemic, or SAFE, providers will stand outside their hospitals for five minutes at noon. This is the second annual rally of its kind. Participants hope the event will raise awareness of gun violence as a public health issue, promote firearm safety education as part of patient care and call for legislation to remove restrictions on gun violence research.
SAFE was founded at Stanford (Calif.) University in 2018. It now has chapters at medical schools around the country, including University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, The Pritzker School of Medicine at University of Chicago, Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, and University of Colorado-Denver School of Medicine.
"Recently we've learned that vaping has caused a handful of deaths," said SAFE co-founder Dean Winslow, MD, in a press release, "and doctors are energized to take action. Yet, thousands die from gun violence and we remain silent. Doctors and other healthcare professions can save lives by pushing a public health message."
Dr. Winslow is a professor at Stanford University Medical Center and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.
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