New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health and its president and CEO, Michael Dowling, were awarded the Brady Action Award for their gun violence prevention campaign, according to an April 30 news release.
In a virtual ceremony April 29, which included guest appearances from Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Mr. Dowling and Northwell Health were awarded for "their commitment to addressing gun violence prevention as an integral part of their corporate purpose."
Under Mr. Dowling's leadership, Northwell has organized and hosted two gun violence prevention forums and pledged $1 million toward research and advocacy efforts.
In 2019, Northwell established its Center for Gun Violence Prevention, led by pediatric trauma surgeon Chethan Sathya, MD, to rally support from the healthcare industry to recognize gun violence as a public health crisis.
In 2021, the collaborative has grown to include more than 300 leaders from Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, University of Chicago Medicine, Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital, Little Rock-based University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center, and other hospitals and health systems that have joined the collaboration.
Mr. Dowling felt the wave of mass shootings in recent years emphasized the need for immediate action to end these tragedies.
When speaking to his peers, he learned that many were apprehensive about taking a stand on a political issue, because of concerns of offending their board members, donors and other constituents.
Mr. Dowling said in an op-ed published in Becker's: "I'm not oblivious to those considerations, but leadership doesn't hide. True leadership means having the personal courage to speak out and take the heat, particularly on issues that are affecting the health and wellness of our communities. If there was a disease that was killing as many people as guns in this country, we would be mobilizing a national response effort. It's inexcusable for us to remain silent."