Northwell Releases First-of-its-Kind Toolkit to Help Health Care Providers Implement Gun Violence Prevention Programs

Supported by the Joyce Foundation, the new digital resource offers a practical roadmap to expand lifesaving firearm injury and violence prevention programs

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As health care providers across the United States are increasingly addressing gun violence as a public health crisis, a new resource will help translate years of frontline experience into action. Unveiled last month at Northwell Health’s annual Gun Violence Prevention Forum, a new digital implementation toolkit, Guiding Health Systems to Action on Firearm Injury & Violence Prevention, brings together actionable insights from hospitals and health systems across the country that are making a difference. Developed by Northwell, with support from the Joyce Foundation and experts across the field, the toolkit represents the most comprehensive guide to gun violence prevention (GVP) programming in health care settings to date.

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to gun violence prevention as firearm suicide, unintentional injury, interpersonal and community violence, and mass shootings impact each community differently. For years, health care providers around the country have been building and researching approaches to reduce firearm injuries and prevent gun violence,” said Chethan Sathya, MD, a pediatric trauma surgeon and director of the Center for Gun Violence Prevention at Northwell (CGVP). “This resource brings those lessons and best practices together in one place. We’re grateful to the leadership here at Northwell Health and the Joyce Foundation for taking the bold step to prioritize gun violence prevention work, and to our health system partners for expertise and support.”

The toolkit summarizes nearly 100 clinical, community and system-level strategies health systems may adopt and adapt to meet their communities’ unique needs. By outlining how and where health systems can exert influence, and what is required to operationalize and scale efforts over time, the toolkit intends to move the field from aspiration to sustainable, coordinated action.

Drawing on existing resources, countless conversations with health care leaders and Northwell’s own National Institutes of Health-funded research, the resource equips health care leaders and frontline staff with the knowledge and strategies to tailor best practices to unique patient and geographic contexts, overcome common barriers to implementation, and identify sustainable funding streams.

“The Joyce Foundation has long supported efforts to reduce gun violence through evidence-based approaches,” said Soledad Adrianzén McGrath, Joyce Foundation’s program director for the Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Reform Program. “This toolkit reflects the depth of work already underway in clinical settings across the country and provides a roadmap to help more health systems take part in that progress. We’re grateful to our partners at Northwell Health, and the many health sector stakeholders they work with, for putting together this resource.”

Northwell has led the charge to address gun violence as a public health crisis since 2019 and formed its Center for Gun Violence Prevention in 2020. The Center takes a multi-faceted approach that includes providing clinical care and support services to those impacted by gun violence, conducting research on firearm injury prevention and screening emergency room patients about their risk factors and home firearm safety.

Recognizing the critical need for systemic change, Northwell expanded its impact in 2022 by creating the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention & Safety, which now convenes 60 leaders from some of the nation's largest health systems and hospitals. Through this growing coalition, Northwell is developing best practices for hospitals to prevent firearm injury and death, mobilizing the health care sector to depolarize gun safety discussions, and advancing a shared goal: to dramatically reduce gun violence so it is no longer a significant driver of hospital admissions and deaths in our communities.

“Gun violence is a public health crisis that demands action from all of us – and health care has a unique responsibility and platform to lead,” said John D’Angelo, MD, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “Thanks to Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention team and support from the Joyce Foundation, we’re able to equip and empower every hospital and health system to meaningfully address this crisis in their communities.”

To download the full toolkit, click here.

About Northwell Health

Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 106,000 employees – including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.