For Immediate Release
OAKLAND, Calif., September 22, 2022 — The Permanente Journal’ s latest issue includes an article featuring insights from an esteemed panel of participants on the uniquely American problem of gun violence, the etiology of mass shootings and steps hospitals and medical systems should take to prepare for future events.
Titled “ Gun Violence and Mass Shootings as a Public Health Priority in the United States: An Expert Panel Discussion , ” the special article captures a conversation among experts who approached the topic from a medical-psychological-social perspective.
“The significance of this conversation cannot be understated,” said The Permanente Journal ’s Editor-in-Chief, G. Richard Holt, MD. “Our hospitals and medical systems must be prepared and maximize efforts to communicate during times of crisis and tragedy. It is my hope that this article brings a new perspective to mass shootings in America such that we can move the conversation beyond a vague outcry for mental health awareness to more definitive action through the perspectives of experts in medicine and social psychology.”
Joining the discussion were David C. Grossman, MD, MPH, of Kaiser Permanente; Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association; former FBI special agent Mary Ellen O’Toole, PhD, of the George Mason University, and Joseph V. Sakran, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Holt.
The following are a few excerpts from the discussion.
Mary Ellen O’Toole: “During this time, these offenders begin to demonstrate behavior that we call “warning behaviors,” which are observable by the people around them. Recognizing these pre-incident behaviors is important in order to understand all the contributing factors to the shooter’s decisions to following through with a mass shooting. This period of planning and plotting, during which warning behaviors are visible to people around them, must become an important part of the conversation.”
Georges C. Benjamin: “We have to be knowledgeable about the interaction between behavior and the access to a gun, and ultimately we need to be looking at both. In the pediatric population, screening is usually just about the safety of the environment… and the presence of an unlocked gun constitutes an unsafe environment for the child or teen.”
Joseph V. Sakran: “There’s also been significant underinvestment and chronic underfunding, both in preparedness and in public health, and that has left behind a very weak infrastructure that, frankly, is antiquated and this just adds to the overworked and stressed workforces that all of us are seeing in hospitals all across the United States.”
David C. Grossman: “Dealing with the aftermath and trauma, including emotional trauma, from violence extends well beyond mass shooting events. Emotional trauma can also follow a single death, especially a violent one or a suicide… . It’s certainly an important area and one where I think research really needs to be ramped up in terms of identifying the best and most effective types of intervention in those circumstances.”
Additional stories in this latest issue include:
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About The Permanente Journal
The Permanente Journal , published by The Permanente Federation, is a premier publication for content related to health care delivery science, value-based and high-value care, and clinical and applied research. An open-access publication, The Permanente Journal has been publishing research on the practices of high-quality, evidence-based, equitable, and value-based and high-value care since 1997.
About The Permanente Federation
The Permanente Federation LLC is the national leadership and consulting organization for the 8 Permanente Medical Groups, which, together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente. The Federation works on behalf of the Permanente Medical Groups to optimize care delivery and spread Permanente Medicine — medicine that is person- and family-centered, compassionate, evidence-based, technology-enabled, culturally responsive, team-delivered, and physician-led. The Federation, based in Oakland, California, fosters an open learning environment and accelerates research, innovation, and performance improvements across the Permanente Medical Groups to expand the reach of Kaiser Permanente's integrated care delivery model and to lead the nation in transforming health care.
The Permanente Journal
Commentary/editorial
Not applicable
Gun Violence and Mass Shootings as a Public Health Priority in the United States: An Expert Panel Discussion
3-Aug-2022
Disclosures Conflicts of Interest: None declared Funding: None declared