Safe Storage Program: Establishing a Firearm Safety Counseling Program in a Pediatric Rehabilitation Setting 1941

As firearms proliferate in communities across the United States, firearm injury rates are steadily increasing. Due to improvemnts in trauma care outcomes and access, healthcare providers are treating more survivors of firearm injury, many of whom will face a lifetime of impairment. Rehabilitation providers have a unique perspective on the injury burden faced by survivors and families from firearm injuries.
Healthcare providers have played a crucial injury prevention role for decades, by counseling patients on safety topics such as car seats, safe sleep, impaired driving, and smoking cessation. Addressing these public health issues via a focus on prevention strategies, legislation, and community initiatives led to reduced mortality and morbidity from these causes. As firearms continue to kill more children and teens than any other cause including car crashes and cancer, firearm safety should similarly be included in physician screening. Evidence suggests that clinician counseling can normalize conversations and increase rates of safe firearm storage. 
Participants in this session will learn how one pediatric rehabilitation unit identified the need for increased attention to firearm safety; and developed approaches to facilitate general firearm safety education and reduce barriers to safe storage through implementation of a free cable gun lock distribution program. To increase awareness for all staff, regardless of patient interaction, development of a training module was also important to prioritize public safety and support responsible communities.