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LOCAL LEADERS URGE GUN SAFETY DURING FREE GUN LOCK DISTRIBUTION AT JACKSON
Accidental shootings can be prevented through safe gun storage
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Who:
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Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools; J.D. Patterson, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department; Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, Miami-Dade County State Attorney; Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System; Steven Falcone, M.D., M.B.A., chief executive of the University of Miami at Jackson Memorial and executive dean for clinical affairs and CEO of the UHealth Clinical Practice; Judy Schaechter, M.D., M.B.A, interim chair of pediatrics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and chief of service at Holtz Children’s Hospital; Tanya Zakrison, M.D., MPH, University of Miami/Jackson trauma surgeon; representatives from the Miami-Dade Police Department, The Melissa Institute, National Council of Jewish Women, The Children’s Trust and The Injury Free Coalition for Kids
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What:
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Firearm injury is a leading cause of death among children and youth – and so many of these tragedies are caused by unintentional shootings that can be prevented.
Local leaders in health care, law enforcement, and education are joining together this Thursday, December 4, to make a public plea to parents and adults to be responsible and always use firearm safety measures, like making guns inaccessible to children. The best way to do that is to keep weapons stored safely before they reach places where children live and play.
Jackson Health System’s Holtz Children’s Hospital and the University of Miami Department of Pediatrics has partnered with the Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney, along with other entities, to stop these tragedies.
If a parent or gun owner keeps weapons where children live or visit, then the gun should be locked, either in a safe or with a gun lock. Experts say it is not enough to hide a gun, put it in a high place or in an unlocked cabinet or closet. Kids can and do find those guns. The unsafe storage of guns is a public health and safety issue in the United States, where thousands of people are unintentionally shot each year.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, December 4, Miami-Dade Police will be distributing 300 gun locks for free in Alamo Park at Jackson Memorial Hospital, in hopes that these simple safety devices will prevent accidental deaths and injuries.
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When:
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December
04, 2014, 10:30 a.m.
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Where:
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Jackson Memorial Hospital
Alamo Park
1611 N.W. 12th Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
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Editor’s Note:
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Media can park for free in Park Plaza West garage (green garage). Live trucks can be accommodated outside of the Alamo building.
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Jackson Health System
1611 N.W. 12th Avenue Miami, FL 33136
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