Experts across the medical field and policymakers gathered earlier this week to discuss gun violence prevention efforts in Black communities across the nation. The panel, hosted by the National Medical Association (NMA) at its 212th Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly in New Orleans, explored the concerns surrounding young people affected by gun violence and alternative solutions to help communities affected.
Jada Watts is a member of the Student National Medical Association and member of the Howard University Taskforce at Howard University Hospital.
"If you do not know somebody that has been shot, then you are privileged," said Jada Watts, of the Student National Medical Association and member of the Howard University Taskforce at Howard University Hospital. "Before I lost my brother, I always would see these things in the news, and I was like, 'wow, that is so sad,' and I would go on about my day. I would carry on. But, until this happened to me, that's when I started to become an advocate."
The panel discussion titled, "Violence in America, Vol. 2: Implementing Policies and a Time for Action," explored the growing rates of gun violence in Black communities, particularly in major urban areas across the nation.
Dr. Kenneth Wilson, trauma medical director at the University of Chicago, noted that gun violence among children in Chicago has increased significantly in recent years, with the number of youngsters admitted to the children's hospital at the University of Chicago for bullet penetrating trauma, had increased thrice since he started there in 2016. He said the national average for penetrating bullet trauma is generally 12% and in the single digits when it comes to children, yet in the south side of Chicago, it is 19%.
