Today's episode concludes this podcast series. Dr. Christopher Barsotti sits down with Public Health Specialist, Peter Maier, to reflect on previous episodes and provide a concise overview of initiatives carried out. Dr. Barsotti discusses the complexities of social emergency medicine and how relationships at every level of public health can reduce the number of firearm injury and suicide victims that come into an emergency room. He shares his insight on how emergency medicine doctors have become public health champions by default due to their close proximity to community tragedies. This episode concludes by revealing future plans for interventions and steps that community members can take to support one another long before a tragedy occurs.

In today’s episode, AAI’s Program Manager, Andrew Langlois sits down to chat with Luke Walker, the director of EMS services at Mercy EMS at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. They discuss the important and often forgotten role of EMS professionals in their efforts to reduce firearm injury and suicide on the frontlines. More often than not, EMS are first on scene and are faced with the difficulties of providing medical care while simultaneously supporting the impacted victims and bystanders. Luke walks us through his unique role as an EMS director and public safety officer and shares his perspective on how mental health services can be better utilized throughout his community.

In today’s episode, AAI Program Manager and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Katherine Palm, spoke with Andrea Wells, a psych nurse at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. She discusses the impact of stigma on addressing mental health needs in her practice and how these play into reducing firearm injury and suicide. She concludes by sharing how to build trust with patients and how to facilitate tough conversations with family members and friends who are closest to these situations.

In today's episode we hear from Samantha Gerlek and Amanda Derham, Behavioral Health Consultants at Jordan Valley Community Health Center. They speak about their experience working within an integrated health model at Jordan Valley, addressing behavioral health crises and working as a team with other health clinicians, and how they address lethal means access. They conclude the episode by discussing the exciting potential of integrating their work in partnership with other fields of expertise to enhance their knowledge and how this will positively impact the surrounding community.

On today's episode we speak with Katherine Kelley, an Emergency Trauma nurse at Mercy Hospital. Nurses are often the lifeblood of healthcare and build trust with patients due to their extensive time interacting with those they care for. We also hear from Samantha White, a Clinical Educator at Mercy Behavioral Health within the Marion Center. Ms. White shares her perspective on addressing lethal means access and improving communication strategies with family members.

This episode sheds light on the role of the firearm industry, community partners, and healthcare workers in reducing firearm injury and suicide prevention in their community. Dr. Kristen Mueller is an Emergency Medicine Physician and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. She is also the Co-Director of Life Outside Violence, a program based in St. Louis, Missouri, that helps patients injured from a stabbing, gunshot wound, or assault to receive treatment, support, and resources they need after experiencing intentional violence. Throughout the episode, she describes how firearm injury should be treated as a public health issue and addresses the misconceptions about firearm injury. Katie Ellison is the Project Director for the Safer Homes Collaborative located at the Missouri Institute for Mental Health. She shares the origins of a grassroots gun shop project that she has been involved in for the past three years across the state of Missouri. The episode concludes by hearing from firearm industry expert, John from Branson Cerakote. He details his involvement in a national program called Hold My Guns®, which allows a person in crisis to have a firearm-related retailer "hold their guns" until they are through a difficult time.

AFFIRM at the Aspen Institute is the nation's leading non-profit dedicated to ending the American firearm injury epidemic using a health-based approach. AFFIRM combines health expertise with the knowledge and traditions of responsible firearm stewardship to achieve consensus recommendations. In Episode 1, we discuss the origins of AFFIRM at the Aspen Institute. Dr(s). Christopher Barsotti and Megan Ranney share their perspectives on firearm injury and suicide in their local communities and hospitals. Throughout their experiences and research, they felt a need to expand the conversation surrounding firearm injury and suicide prevention to other communities around the nation. This brought them to Springfield, Missouri, which will be further highlighted in Episode 2.