Community Investment through Community Programming

There are several local community initiatives that address the social determinants of health. Emergency physicians can invest their time and energy into advocacy for these programs or thorough direct participation. Some examples include food pantry services in the ED to decrease food insecurity or mentoring with middle-school or high-school students. These interventions can decrease psychological stress and lead to less interpersonal violence. Investment in our youth can also boost self-perceived societal worth and can lead to fewer feelings of hopelessness. As physicians who work with our communities, we are well-positioned to advocate for initiatives that augment our patients’ health status.

With the summer here and the continued rise of gun-related injuries and deaths across the U.S. anticipated, there is a great disparity that is seen amongst those who suffer from gun-related homicide. As emergency physicians it is our responsibility to provide equitable care and resources to all of our patients regardless of their background or social circumstances. Many efforts have been put into addressing gun violence, but few address the root causes and attempt to provide equitable resources specific to those who are injured. At times, it can seem impossible to make an impact within our role of emergency physicians, however there are some tangible efforts that we can lead to make a difference. When we start focusing on these tools, we may finally start moving the needle in the right direction to address the needs of inner-city kids and adults disproportionately victimized by gun violence.

Dr. Haamid (@HaamidtheMD) is a practicing emergency physician at the University of Chicago.

References

1. Gun violence in america. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund website. Published online 5/19/2020, updated 1/26/2022. Available at: https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-in-america/. Accessed June 12, 2022.
2. Issue: impact of gun violence on Black Americans. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund website. Available at: https://everytownresearch.org/issue/gun-violence-black-americans/. Accessed June 12, 2022.
3. The Root Causes of Gun Violence. The Educational Fund To Stop Gun Violence website. Published online March 2020. Available at: http://efsgv.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/EFSGV-The-Root-Causes-of-Gun-Violence-March-2020.pdf. Accessed June 12, 2022.
4. Data tracker: City dashboard: murder and gun homicide. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund website. Published online December 16, 2021. Available at: https://everytownresearch.org/report/city-data/. Accessed June 12, 2022.
5. Karraker N, Cunningham RM, Becker MG. Violence is preventable: a best practice guide for launching & sustaining a hospital-based program to break the cycle of violence. Oakland, Calif.: YouthAlive!; 2011. Available for download at the US Department of Justice website at: https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/violence-preventable-best-practices-guide-launching-sustaining. Accessed June 12, 2022.