Northwell CEO Dowling: Don't Abandon Gun Safety Push

Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling is pressing healthcare leaders to keep gun violence prevention at the center of their public health agenda, warning against any move to weaken safety measures. Writing in Becker's Hospital Review, Dowling says it is "absurd" to ease measures that are saving lives when hospital caregivers are the ones treating shooting victims and comforting grieving families.

Dowling has been among the most vocal hospital executives on this issue, positioning gun violence as a medical problem rather than a purely political one. His argument rests on a simple point: clinicians see the human cost firsthand, in trauma bays and waiting rooms, which gives the healthcare industry both standing and responsibility to act.

In practice, that means hospitals continuing to fund screening, community intervention programs, and research, even as national attention shifts elsewhere. For health system leaders, Dowling's message is that prevention work should not be treated as optional or expendable when priorities and budgets tighten.