January 2025 SAFE Newsletter

Table of Contents:

• SAFE’s Mission & Goals

• Join The SAFE One Thousand

• Register for StandSAFE with Dr. Cedric Dark

• SAFE’s THREE BIG PROJECTS

• Firearm Injury Prevention Policies by State

SAFE’s Goals:

1. Make firearm injury prevention education a priority at every US medical school.

2. Be the leading source of medical education materials on effective ways for medical schools to teach firearm injury prevention strategies to their medical students.

3. Provide current and future physicians the skills necessary to engage patients, communities, legislators on public health driven solutions for firearm injury prevention.

4. Develop a robust research wing of SAFE to establish evidence-based best practices for medical student firearm prevention education.

Thank you to The SAFE ONE THOUSAND who fund SAFE’s work. These are people and family foundations who contribute either a donation of $1,000 or more to SAFE or set up a recurring, monthly donation of $83.34 or more per month. We hope you consider joining them by clicking the “donate” button above. Or, you can give at any amount that is comfortable for you.

On March 11, SAFE will hold its semi-annual event at
8 PM Eastern Time/ 5 PM Pacific.

Dr. Cedric Dark will be speaking about his recent book "Under the Gun - An ER Doctor's Cure for America's Gun Epidemic" and will be interviewed by two second year medical students from The George Washington University Medical School; Ariana Ali and Meagan Mitchell.

While registering for the free event IS required, reading the book in advance is not. However, we hope you pick up a copy and add it to your reading list before March 11. It is an excellent book that you can purchase directly from the publisher.

SAFE’s THREE BIG PROJECTS

1. SAFE is co-hosting a series of in-person collaborative workshops for Firearm Injury Prevention Education Curriculum during 2025-2027.

If you are a medical or nursing student, a physician or RN in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan, and would like to collaborate to develop curriculum on firearm injury prevention, you are invited to the first (and second; date TBD) workshop in Madison, Wisconsin from March 14-15, 2025.

If you are outside of the states listed but are very interested in learning how to develop curriculum at your institution, we welcome you to attend as well!

The first workshop is on Friday, March 14, at 5 PM through Saturday, March 15, put on in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health. It will take place at the Health Sciences Learning Center, at 750 Highland Avenue, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Workshop attendees will hear from individuals in firearm culture (veterans, police, hunters, and gun shop owners) and will actively engage with medical students and firearm violence survivors to understand perspectives and perceived educational needs in firearm injury prevention education.

Click to see who is leading this workshop, what is on the agenda, and accommodation details.

If you have colleagues in those states, please forward this newsletter to them, and let them know to take a look.

2. SAFE is kicking off a new series on preparing medical students and healthcare professionals to be knowledgeable and effective advocates for evidence-based firearm injury prevention policies in their own states.

The SAFE chapter from Madison, Wisconsin, is hosting the first session in an 8-10 part series on Monday, February 17 at Noon Central Time, along with leaders from the SAFE national organization. All are welcome.

The first session will cover what to expect during the two-year series with some background on the difference between safe, secure, and responsible storage and why the doctors' and medical students' voice matters.

If you are a Wisconsin-based physician or medical student, please register to attend this free event. If you are outside of Wisconsin, but are interested in seeing how hosting a similar series in your state would work, please register and join us! If you cannot attend due to a scheduling conflict, please register, and we will know to send you a recording of the first session.

Firearm Injury Prevention Laws Work

Everytown for Gun Safety recently shared their 2025 Gun Law Rankings which show a clear connection between stronger firearm safety laws and lower rates of firearm deaths. If every state in the country had the firearm death rates of the nine states with the strongest gun safety laws, 299,000 lives could be saved in the next decade.

Click on the graphic below or the link above to see interactive tools to explore by state or explore by policy to learn more. And then please consider hosting a series in your state on how medical students and physicians can use their trusted voice.

The reason SAFE is focused on advocacy and policies is because we know in states where elected officials have taken action to pass firearm injury prevention laws, fewer people die by firearm injuries. Click on the graphic to learn more.

SAFE is sharing the newly developed This Is Our Lane Resource Guide, a nonpartisan tool designed by Brady to support healthcare professionals in navigating important conversations on firearm safety and access with patients. As members of this community, they know that firearm violence prevention must be integrated into clinical practices — Brady has asked for your insights and expertise.

The guide was developed by the This Is Our Lane national advisory council in partnership with Brady, one of the nation’s leading organizations in gun violence prevention. Now, they invite you to review the resource they have created and take their 10-minute survey to share your expert feedback.

Brady collaborated with Rice University (IRB-FY2025-106) who aims to assess the guide’s effectiveness and to better understand the tools healthcare professionals need to address firearm safety with patients.

SAFE -Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic
P.O. Box 5424
Madison, WI 53705