WEST READING, PA — A total of 59 hospitals from Philadelphia, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Southern New Jersey have united under the banner of HospitalsTogether.com, launching a major public service campaign aimed at curbing child injuries and deaths from firearms. The campaign, titled “It Doesn’t Kill to Ask,” encourages community members, parents, and caregivers to openly discuss safe gun storage in homes that children might visit.
Firearms remain the leading cause of injury and death among children in the U.S., with an average of 13 children dying from gunshot injuries daily. Brady United Against Gun Violence reports that almost 5 million children live in homes with unlocked or unsupervised guns. Last year alone, there were at least 377 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 145 deaths.
This grim reality underscores the necessity of the “It Doesn’t Kill to Ask” campaign. By equipping community members with actionable tools and resources, the initiative aims to foster a culture of open conversation about gun storage safety. The goal is to make these conversations as commonplace as discussions about pets or food allergies before a child’s playdate.
The HospitalsTogether.com website offers a wealth of information for parents and caregivers, including tips on how to broach the topic of safely stored firearms with other families. The campaign also includes a series of broadcast, print, and digital public service messages reminding the public that access to unlocked guns can lead to death, suicide, and violence. The campaign emphasizes that children are more likely to die from firearms than from cancer or car accidents.
The tri-state health systems’ collaboration represents the nation’s largest regional partnership addressing critical public health issues. Comprising thousands of outpatient sites and hundreds of thousands of physicians, nurses, and other clinical and support staff, the coalition is committed to tackling complex public health challenges that often result in serious and avoidable health consequences.
The coalition first came together in 2020, promoting mask usage during the pandemic and leading other public health protection efforts. The recent formalization of their partnership under the HospitalsTogether.com banner demonstrates their ongoing commitment to collaborative public health initiatives.
The “It Doesn’t Kill to Ask” campaign is driven by over 100 healthcare marketing and communications executives who have been meeting regularly for over a decade. By sharing knowledge, experience, best practices, and resources, they believe they can accomplish more collectively than individually.
As the region grapples with the ongoing crisis of child gun safety, this united front of hospitals and health systems offers a beacon of hope. Through education, outreach, and advocacy, they aim to make a lasting impact on the health and safety of their communities.
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