Kaiser Permanente Commits $2 Million to Gun Injury Prevention Research

Kaiser Permanente is investing $2 million in research to prevent gun injuries and death, the Oakland, CA-based integrated health system announced yesterday. As part of the effort, the health system has launched a task force on firearm injury prevention. “Going forward, we will study interventions to prevent gun injuries the same way we study cancer, heart disease and other leading causes of preventable death in America,” said Bechara Choucair, M.D., Kaiser Permanente’s chief community health officer and task force co-lead. The clinician-guided research will identify evidence-based tools to guide clinical and community prevention efforts, which will be disseminated through webinars, white papers and peer-reviewed publications, the organization said.