Recent grants from Rx Foundation and the Joyce Foundation are empowering the Center to grow its national leadership and provide toolkits for other health systems.

In 2020, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, ahead of car accidents and cancer. One year prior to this bleak milestone, Northwell Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in the entire Northeast, took action to treat gun violence for what it is – a public health crisis – and created its Center for Gun Violence Prevention. Since that time, leading philanthropies dedicated to gun violence prevention have come together to foster the Center’s ongoing work, including community and hospital-based violence intervention initiatives, community partnerships, research and education.

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Northwell Health team members wear orange for gun violence prevention awareness. (Credit: Northwell Health)

In recent months, the Rx Foundation granted $100,000 to advance the Center’s essential work, while an additional $100,000 from the Joyce Foundation is supporting the development of a national toolkit to guide health systems throughout the country in best practices for implementing successful gun violence prevention initiatives.

This generous funding fuels the Center for Gun Violence Prevention’s work as a national leader in addressing gun violence through a public health approach. This includes expanding research to identify the root causes of gun violence and inform effective, evidence-based interventions. For example, a $1.4 million NIH research grant enabled the Center to conduct over 80,000 emergency department gun-violence risk screenings, distribute over 500 cable gun locks, and empower families with vital safety information.

“Real change on gun violence prevention starts locally – in our hospitals, our churches, our communities. We ignite change at the local level, build momentum, and then push outward,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “These grants represent a major acceleration of philanthropic investment at a critical time by some of the field's most dedicated nonprofits, the Rx Foundation and the Joyce Foundation. With this continued support from donors who believe in our mission, we can push even further. That’s how we create a national movement that saves lives.”

Since its start, the Center and Northwell have:

• Recruited more than 600 professionals in the health care industry across 38 states to join the Gun Violence Prevention Learning Collaborative for Health Systems and Hospitals to share resources, best practices and data.
• Trained 500 Northwell practitioners on gun violence prevention and intervention measures.
• Educated 1,200 team members on firearm injury prevention and intervention.
• Engaged more than 18 schools in gun violence prevention and education.
• Launched the “Just Ask” public service campaign, which has been adopted by over 1,000 hospitals nationwide, and urges parents to ask family and friends a critical question: “Is there an unlocked gun in the house?”
• Founded the Northwell Health Gun Violence Prevention Forum, now in its sixth year.
• Created the first National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention and Safety with more than 50 leaders of some of the nation’s largest health systems.
• Aided in the Ad Council’s launch of its 2025 “Agree to Agree” national campaign to raise awareness that we can all agree gun injuries shouldn’t be the No. 1 killer of kids.

“Northwell has chosen to address gun violence as a public health issue, taking a multiphased approach that begins with stabilizing the patient and continues through discharge, focusing on both physical and mental well-being,” said Rx Foundation trustee Trina Whitridge. “One of the most impactful tools Northwell has introduced is a universal questionnaire in multiple clinical facilities that everyone, not just those admitted for gun-related injuries, completes. This opens the door to meaningful conversations about gun safety and ownership and how we can help create a safer environment around that choice. That’s a simple but powerful step.”

Beyond direct interventions, the Center works to mobilize the broader health care community. Through partnerships with organizations – including previous White House administrations, the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – the Center disseminates evidence-based solutions and connects health care leaders with community stakeholders. To further this effort, the Center is integrating gun violence prevention into medical and nursing school curricula and offering training programs like “Stop the Bleed.” These programs empower future health care professionals and community members to address this crisis.

“At our hospitals, we see firsthand the devastating impact of gun violence, treating 60 percent of all gunshot wounds in New York. This stark reality underscores the urgency of our mission at Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention. We are deeply grateful for this generous support, which empowers us to accelerate our research, strengthen our advocacy, and expand vital community-based programs,” said Chethan Sathya, MD, MSc, director of the Center for Gun Violence Prevention. “The momentum we’ve built together is powerful, and with this continued support, we are confident we can create safer communities for everyone.”

The Center also regularly publishes and disseminates its research to fellow researchers and health systems, including a 2024 study published in Injury Prevention that provided a blueprint for implementing universal screening for firearm injury and mortality prevention in emergency care settings. Continued support is crucial for expanding these efforts, strengthening partnerships and ultimately creating safer communities nationwide.

To support the Center for Gun Violence Prevention, 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 104,000 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.

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