Gun Violence Archives - Health BeatHealth Beat

June 6th is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, a day that honors the victims and survivors of gun violence and builds a community with those working to end gun violence.

National Gun Violence Awareness Day, also known as Wear Orange Day, originated on June 2nd, 2015, which is what would have been Hadiya Pendleton’s 18th birthday. Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago, Illinois. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear to protect themselves and others.

#WearOrange honors Hadiya and the 125 people shot and killed every day in the United States, along with hundreds more who are wounded and the countless others whose lives have been changed by gun violence.

To participate in National Gun Violence Awareness Day, you can do the following:

Attend a gun safety community event.
Talk to friends, family, and neighbors. Start a conversation about gun safety and why it matters in your community.
Wear the color orange.
Post yourself wearing or holding something orange and use #WearOrange to show your support for gun violence prevention.

For this 11th year of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, #WearOrange and join in remembering the millions of lives stolen or impacted by gun violence and taking action by advocating for gun violence prevention in their honor.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is one of the busiest trauma centers in New York City and the five boroughs, and the only trauma center providing care for a large community in South Queens. We are proud to be designated as a Level 1 Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons, the highest designation level. This means that our trauma center is prepared to provide emergent life-saving care to the most seriously injured patients 24 hours a day.

In the spring of 2020, while our community began to recover from the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, we noticed a disturbing trend, more and more patients were coming to Jamaica Hospital for firearm-related injuries.

We recognized the importance of expanding our efforts beyond patients’ medical needs to potentially impact other determinants of gun violence in our community. By taking a true public health approach to gun violence, we can make a meaningful change in not only our patients’ lives but for all of Queens, as we work as a community to end gun violence.

With that, we are proud to announce Jamaica Hospital’s V.E.T.O program, for Violence Elimination and Trauma Outreach.

As our clinical group of trauma physicians and nurses focus on healing injuries, our team of social workers and case managers will focus on addressing non-medical determinants of health for gun violence survivors by providing violence intervention services and guidance to hospital and community resources. We are fostering relationships with community organizations to provide additional support for gun violence survivors and their families and working to raise awareness on the epidemic of gun violence.

Category Archives: Gun Violence

National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Jamaica Hospital Launches The VETO Anti-Gun Violence Program