NY hospital chain adding gun ownership screening question

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Starting later this month, Northwell staff at two Long Island hospitals and a third on Staten Island will add a question to their routine screening of emergency room patients: Do you have a gun in your house?

The question is part of a new screening program designed to analyze patients' risk for firearm injury.

The program will be funded under a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health that Northwell received to study gun violence prevention.

Northwell's NIH grant comes as gun violence remains the leading cause of premature death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We've seen a significantly higher number of firearm injuries compared to last year," Sathya said. "We don't know how many people have guns in the household, and we don't know how many children may have improper access. This is a chance to understand the underlying issues, and counsel on gun safety."

Also, Northwell said it plans to hold a virtual Gun Violence Prevention Forum on Dec. 10. The event could include victims, education leaders and health care professionals, Dowling said.

Northwell this year pledged $1 million toward stemming gun violence and launching the center.

Northwell Health is the largest health system and largest private employer in the state, with about 72,000 employees.

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Northwell Health adding query about guns to ER patient screenings