The nurses on 8 East know the painful realities of gun violence. As team members on a TUH-Main Campus trauma unit, they often treat patients with gunshot injuries. But saving lives means responding to these incidents after they happen—and the nurses on the 8 East Unit Base Council wanted to do more to advocate for preventative measures.
That’s why, on June 20th, they held their first Gun Violence Prevention Rally outside TUH-Main Campus. The rally was led by staff nurse Natalie Chamberlain, RN, who partnered with Trauma Outreach Manager Scott Charles, MAPP, FCPP to distribute free gun locks and provide education to patients, staff, and community members.
“June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, and we wanted to recognize that,” Chamberlain explains. “We teamed up with Scott, and then got in touch with a group that helps promote gun safety for children by teaching parents and kids what questions they should ask when they go to someone’s house for a playdate. Samantha Heffron, MSN, RN, NE-BC, 8 East’s Director of Nursing, worked with me as I reached out to the Unit Representative for the Surgical ICU and 9 West and got them involved. My coworker Bryanna Laws, RN and Clyde Williams, RN and Latoya Allen, RN from 9 West were also incredibly helpful.”
This group was able to give out over 150 gun locks to rally attendees, which led to productive conversations. “We would teach them how to use the gun lock, and then we would start discussing why they’re important,” Chamberlain says. “A lot of people would tell us, ‘I want to have my gun ready in case somebody breaks into my house.’ But we would explain, ‘Guns are stolen: that’s why they’re on the streets. Kids see guns: they play with them, and that can be dangerous.’”
Low-Cost, Life-Saving Solutions
“Gun lock distribution is really about preventing unintended shootings, like when a child finds a gun and accidentally shoots themselves or someone else,” explains Charles, whose extensive anti-gun violence work—including giving out gun locks and safes and leading violence prevention programs like Cradle to Grave—has been covered by The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Daily Beast, and The Philadelphia Tribune.
“If you don’t purchase a gun brand-new—if you inherit one, or buy it from a private owner—you may not have gotten a gun lock,” he continues. “We live in a community where people are working hard, and they might not have the means or the time to track down a gun lock. So we want to make it as easy as possible for them to get one. I work with a manufacturer who sells them at cost, so for less than $300, we could spend a significant time talking to families and individuals about the importance of gun safety, and provide them with the tools necessary to make their firearms more secure.”
Passion-Fueled Prevention
The rally’s success has inspired Chamberlain and her coworkers to incorporate gun violence prevention into their day-to-day care. “I think it’s important that we continue having these discussions with our patients and their families,” she says. “We want to make sure that they know all about gun safety measures.”
They also plan on holding more rallies in the future—which is evidence of the passion Charles sees in their advocacy. “When you’re a nurse on a trauma unit, your work is undoubtedly affected by gun violence in the community,” he says. “You take that home with you, and that stays with you. And here we have nurses who are actively engaged in trying to save people’s lives after that violence happens, saying, ‘Let’s do something preventative.’ That makes absolute sense, and I was just thrilled to see they were so passionate about it. From a personal standpoint, I couldn’t be more thrilled to support them.”