White House Enlists Doctors and Hospitals to Combat Gun Violence

By Samantha Young | KFF Health News | Word In Black (WIB) – The White House is calling on hospital executives, doctors, and other health care leaders to take bolder steps to prevent gun violence by gathering more data about gunshot injuries and routinely counseling patients about the safe use of firearms. Biden administration officials are hosting back-to-back events Thursday and Friday at the White House for about 160 health care officials, calling gun violence a “public health crisis” that requires them to act. RELATED:& Guns& Are Killing Young Black People in Rural America, Too The strategy also reflects a stark political reality: Congress has been deadlocked on most gun-related legislation for years, with a deep divide between Republicans and Democrats. If Democratic President Joe Biden wants to get anything done quickly, he will need to look outside the Capitol. He has& already enlisted educators& to talk to parents about safe gun storage and& community workers& to help at-risk youth. “The president has been clear: This is a public health crisis. So, to solve it, we need the leaders from the health care sector,” Rob Wilcox, a deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, told KFF...