Alameda Health System Reports Increased Gun Violence

The East Bay public health system is sounding the alarm as incidents of gunshot wounds continue to rise.  

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alameda Health System's Highland Hospital received three victims of the gun violence that broke out in Oakland on Wednesday afternoon, Sep. 28. The shooting occurred near the campus that houses Bay Area Technology School, Rudsdale Continuation and Newcomer high schools and Sojourner Truth Independent Study school on the 8200 block of Fontaine Street. Two of the patients are in critical condition and one has been discharged.

Highland Hospital saw about twice as many gunshot wounds (GSWs) in 2022 and 2021 than it did in the two previous years. The Highland Hospital Trauma Center reports that the upward trend began with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and is projected to remain high this year.

"As the safety-net health care provider in Alameda County tasked with healing and serving all in our community, it is incumbent on us to the sound the alarm. We're seeing an increase in gun violence that is devastating," said James Jackson, CEO of Alameda Health System.

Gun violence is a health inequity that disproportionately impacts low-income communities of color in Alameda County. The same areas that have the most GSW-related emergency department visits also have the highest rates of stroke, diabetes and heart disease.

Highland reported the following data representing the number of GSW victims treated at the hospital over the past four years. This data does not represent all incidents of gun violence in Alameda County, though Highland Hospital does treat many of the wounded.

Figure 1. Average GSW patients per month at Highland Hospital.  

Figure 2. Total GSW patients per month and annual total at Highland Hospital.

"I'm a son of Oakland. I grew up in Oakland," said Jackson. "I am calling for all leaders in our community – myself included – to do more. On behalf of AHS, I stand ready to lean in and do this work."

In addition to treating the wounded, AHS is working to prevent gun violence. AHS works in partnership with outside agencies and community-based organizations to deliver gun violence prevention and intervention services. It recently launched Trauma Navigator, a pilot program that connects patients at high risk of gun violence with preventative resources and offers mental health services to victims of gun violence.

ALAMEDA HEALTH SYSTEM (AHS) is a leading public health care provider dedicated to caring, healing, teaching and serving all. AHS is a haven for the most vulnerable among us and an advocate for equitable, compassionate, and culturally sensitive care regardless of social and financial barriers. AHS is a vanguard of medical excellence, with a teaching hospital that draws the nation's best medical students. As one of Alameda County's 15 largest employers, AHS is a major economic power providing more than 5,100 jobs and contributing nearly $560 million annually in salaries, wages and benefits. AHS is also home to more than 760 physicians across the nine facilities within the health system. Since 1864, AHS has served the East Bay's health care needs. For more information, visit AlamedaHealthSystem.org.

CONTACT:
Eleanor Ajala
Manager of Media & Communications
Alameda Health System
(510) 421-9222
eajala@alamedahealthsystem.org

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SOURCE Alameda Health System