In 2019, Michael Dowling began reaching out to peers at other leading health systems to garner support in collectively acknowledging and addressing gun violence as a public health crisis. Few were willing to sign on to such efforts. [Beckers Health Review

"I couldn't get anybody," Mr. Dowling, president and CEO of New York City-based Northwell Health, told Becker's. "They all acknowledged that it was an issue, and they were all very appreciative that I was taking the lead on it. But very few of them wanted to engage." 

Firearm-related deaths hit an all-time high of nearly 49,000 in 2021 and remain the leading cause of death in children and adolescents. Historically, it was typical and expected for healthcare institutions to shy away from taking a firm stance on controversial political issues. But the tide has begun to turn in the past few years, with a growing pack of prominent voices in healthcare and beyond recognizing and treating gun violence as a nonpolitical health issue. 

Mr. Dowling has spearheaded efforts to bring health system leaders together around the cause. In 2021, he launched the Gun Violence Prevention Learning Collaborative for Hospitals and Health Systems, which has since convened more than 600 healthcare professionals to discuss strategies on how their organizations are working to prevent gun violence in their communities. Through that effort, more than 40% of members have said they have started or expanded evidence-based prevention strategies at their organizations. The multi-year effort is in its second phase, which involves developing a national repository and dashboard of health systems' firearm injury prevention initiatives. 

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