On Friday, Sen. David Frockt and leaders at Harborview Medical Center announced the Harborview Injury and Prevention Research Center (HIPRC) will receive $1 million in state funding over the next two years to research firearm injuries and deaths and develop strategies to reducing gun violence.
Harborview is the regional Trauma 1 hospital for critically injured patients in Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, so they have extensive experience in treating patients with firearm-related injuries. In recent years, they have seen an uptick in patients with these types injuries, so funding for gun violence research to determine the scope of the problem and potential solutions is critical.
Gun violence research funding is restricted at the federal level since Congress passed the Dickey Amendment in 1996, which makes state funding the only viable option to advancing this research. HIPRC will use the state funding provided to look at the issue holistically, including the impacts and effectiveness of current and prospective public policy.
Gun violence is an issue that touches every Washington resident. Dr. Fred Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at HIPRC, said that 99% of us will know someone in our lifetimes injured or killed by firearms.
Thank you to Sen. Frockt and the Washington State Legislature for providing funding for this important and impactful research.
