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APA pushes to prevent firearm‐related injury and death
Author(s) -
Canady Valerie A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
mental health weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7583
pISSN - 1058-1103
DOI - 10.1002/mhw.32014
Subject(s) - public health , gun violence , criminology , suicide prevention , injury prevention , action (physics) , medicine , occupational safety and health , disease control , medical emergency , poison control , psychiatry , environmental health , political science , psychology , law , nursing , physics , quantum mechanics
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) on Aug. 7 joined six other physician and health professional organizations in calling for action to address the public health epidemic of firearm‐related injury and death. In 2017, nearly 40,000 people died as a result of a firearm, a 20‐year high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an APA news release stated. “Our nation is in the midst of an epidemic of firearm‐related injuries and deaths, and we must treat this as a public health crisis,” said APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D. “We see the long‐lasting mental health impact firearm‐related violence and injury has on our patients every day, and it is time for us to come together as a nation to address this epidemic.”