When violence in general—including gun violence—goes unchecked in any hospital setting, the physical and psychological impact can be severe, lasting and even devastating. Beyond injuries and tragic loss of life, the fallout from unchecked violence creates worker anxiety, loss of productivity and workdays, and significant legal and reputational losses.

Hospitals are places of healing, but they have also become sites of gun violence. A panel at the MedCity News INVEST conference discussed the ways hospitals can reduce threats and de-escalate situations before they become violent.

In just 2020, deaths from gun violence cost the U.S. healthcare system $290 million, or about $6,400 per patient, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund. These costs are mostly covered by Medicaid and other government insurance programs.

In the two years since its launch, Hackensack Meridian Health’s violence prevention program has provided medical, financial and emotional aid to more than 400 victims of violence. Government officials have taken note of this — the program recently gained $3 million in federal and state grants.

Gun violence is a public health crisis, and lawmakers are taking small steps toward treating it that way, said Kris Brown, president of gun violence prevention nonprofit Brady United. But there is still a long road ahead in the fight to protect American communities against gun-related injuries and fatalities, she said.

More than seven out of every 10 instances of workplace violence in the U.S. occur in a healthcare setting, according to the CDC. Doctors and nurses don’t have to live in a world where security is just good enough when they could do so much better with proven tools, processes and technology.

Clinicians who responded to six recent mass shooting events recommended eight best practices hospitals should adhere to when responding to these tragic events in the future. Their guidance included recommendations for rapid patient triaging, communication with on-site medics and family reunification.

Wednesday’s mass shooting at a Tulsa hospital campus marks the 233rd mass shooting in the U.S. this year. Healthcare workers across the country are arguing that the nation’s gun violence problem should be treated as a public health crisis and met with legislative reform.

The CEO of country’s largest managed care organization speaks on the group’s larger strategy on community health and addressing the larger social issues affecting patients.