Ten Minnesota health systems have declared gun violence a public health crisis and are partnering on creative solutions to prevent gun violence at a local and national level.
"We must look no further than the recent shootings on a hospital campus in Tulsa, Okla., at a school in Uvalde, Texas, a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., and countless others just this past year to see [gun violence's] devastating impacts," the CEOs of 10 health systems said in a joint statement June 8.
"We will continue to be fierce advocates for the safety of our employees, patients and the communities we serve, inside and outside our hospital and clinic walls. By formally declaring gun violence as the public health crisis that it is, we will collectively seek the solutions required to save lives and stem the tide of violence," the statement said.
The collaborating systems are Allina Health, CentraCare, Children's Minnesota, Essentia Health, Fairview Health Services, Gillette Children's, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, North Memorial Health and Sanford Health.
The partnership comes after a series of violent events unfolded in healthcare facilities in recent weeks. Health system leaders across the nation have responded with calls for changes to better fight gun violence. Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente recently said it is establishing a gun violence research center that will spearhead research using the same approach used to study and prevent diseases such as cancer and heart disease.