The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the nation's leading physician and public health organizations called for policies to reduce firearms-related injuries and deaths in the U.S. in a new call-to-action, "Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States: A Call to Action from the Nation's Leading Physician and Public Health Professional Organizations," published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine .
"We are living in a world where gun violence is becoming increasingly common, and as physicians, we have a responsibility to address this public health crisis and to keep our patients safe and healthy," said Robert McLean, MD, FACP, president, ACP.
ACP, together with the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the American Public Health Association, delineate the following in a new policy paper:
For more than two decades, ACP has advocated for the urgent need for impactful legislation that would reduce firearms-related injuries and deaths, and our policy paper sparked the "This Is Our Lane" movement of physicians speaking out on gun violence prevention. Additionally, in light of last weekend's shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, ACP released a statement expressing our frustration and sadness.
"We need to protect our patients, their families, and our communities across the country from needless injuries and deaths, it's time for the U.S. to put firearms violence prevention at the forefront of the health care conversation," said Dr. McLean. "We are committed to working with all stakeholders, and continuing to speak out, to address this public health threat."
###
All firearms-related health policy content published in Annals of Internal Medicine is free to the public at http://annals.org/aim/pages/firearm-related-content .
About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 159,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Contact: Julie Hirschhorn, (202) 261-4523, jhirschhorn@acponline.org
Additional Media Contacts:
American Academy of Family Physicians: Leslie Champlin, 913-906-6252, lchampli@aafp.org
American Academy of Pediatrics: Jamie Poslosky, 202-347-8600, jposlosky@aap.org
American Medical Association: Jack Deutsch, 202-789-7422, jack.deutsch@ama-assn.org
American Public Health Association, Michele Late, 202-777-2488, michele.late@apha.org
Below please find an announcement from Annals of Internal Medicine . The link will go live when the article is posted at 5:00 p.m.
1. Internists, Leading Physician and Public Health Organizations Urge Immediate Action to Prevent Firearm-related Injury and Death Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-2441
Annals of Internal Medicine