We Asked…
We asked readers on social media and in our weekly newsletter to share their thoughts about how gun violence has impacted them. Some respondents chose to remain anonymous because of the subject matter’s sensitivity; others said that even though they worry about it regularly, they chose not to share more because they felt other people […]
The Public Health Crisis of Gun Violence
For the first time in history, the United States Surgeon General in June 2024 declared gun violence a public health emergency. “Firearm violence is a public health crisis. Our failure to address it is a moral crisis,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, said in a public address. Murthy introduced a 39-page advisory, laying out an […]
Artists on Gun Violence
“Artists are the gatekeepers of truth. We are civilization’s radical voice.” — Paul Robeson, American artist, athlete, and activist As the cumulative toll of gun violence in the U.S. continues its grim climb year after year, writers, visual artists, and composers have explored the issue in plays, collaborations, and music. They’re addressing gun violence’s impacts […]
Beyond Bullets
Can changing the way we medically treat gunshot wounds stem gun violence? If you watch local news in Chicago, you can’t escape stories about the city’s gun violence. But the stories don’t often go beyond the shootings themselves — and neither do most medical treatments. As of early December 2022, gun violence has killed 583 […]
I Took My Daughter to an Amusement Park. Then a Shooting Happened
This story originally ran on Healthline in September. Cathy Cassata is a writer for Chicago Health and Healthline. Going to Six Flags Great America amusement park in Gurnee, Illinois, has been a part of my life since I was a kid. My sister and I had season passes throughout our teen years in the ’90s and now […]
Healing Society’s Soul
Physicians sound the alarm for treating gun violence as a public health epidemic Especially on warmer nights, the gun victims arrive in waves. Typically, they get to the emergency rooms by ambulance. If they come by car, sometimes the driver or other passengers roll them out at the entrance like a heap of dirty laundry before […]
