Growing up in Gary, Ind., Michael McGee, MD, MPH, was no stranger to gun violence.
After some time away, he returned to the community in 2010 to work as an emergency department (ED) physician at association member Methodist Hospitals, where he saw firsthand an increase in gun-related injuries, especially among children and adolescents. McGee says the city’s worsening gun violence rates have exhausted hospital workers.
“Health care workers are tired of the madness,” he says. “They take this stuff home with them.”
One patient stuck with McGee — a high school football player who arrived at the ED after suffering multiple gunshot wounds during a football practice.
“That made me start thinking, ‘Hey, I need to do something now,’” McGee says. “It’s not like when I was fighting and getting into situations where you fight and then it’s over. Now kids [are] getting shot.”
That’s when McGee created Project Outreach and Prevention (POP) on Youth Violence. The foundation’s mission is to prevent and alleviate youth violence while inspiring healthful lifestyles, positive behaviors, and accessible career opportunities.
POP is rooted in four pillars: public health awareness, violence prevention, health professions enrichment, and intervention. The organization partners with Methodist’s outreach program, the Methodist ED/trauma department, Vituity ER Group, local law enforcement in four different districts, and other local partners to educate local teens on gun safety, provide mental health resources, offer career guidance, and more.
These interactions occur in five local schools: West Side Leadership Academy; Hammond Morton High School; Hammond Central High School; Merrillville High School; and East Chicago Central, as well as at the local juvenile detention center and community events. McGee also created crisis intervention business cards for youth in Northwest Indiana that are distributed at these presentations and to all youth seen in the ED. The cards list conflict resolution principles and include the website for Students Against Violence Everywhere, a youth-led violence prevention initiative, as well as a crisis QR code with resources on mental health, violence prevention, and bullying.
Educational Program
Through POP, selected minors facing gun charges in Lake County, Ind., where Gary is located, can complete a 10-week educational program to terminate their probation.
POP launched its first cohort in September 2023 with nine minors, ages 12 to 18, who were sentenced to probation for gun-related charges. The teens visited several local institutions that see firsthand the impact of gun violence in the community, including the Methodist ED, the Lake County Morgue, and Lake County Jail.
Initially developed through McGee’s personal funds and fundraising efforts, POP is currently in the final year of a three-year federal grant funded through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and POP’s partner, Positive Approach to Teen Health. Through the grant, POP was able to expand the program’s range of experiences and speakers.
Students hear from mental health specialists, individuals who are incarcerated for murder, local police and crime scene investigation teams, and individuals who experienced gun-related injuries. These speakers help them understand the impact guns can have, not only on their future but also on that of the community.
Speakers also introduce participants to a variety of job opportunities during and after high school, including construction, welding, and jobs related to the health care field.
“After the first session, I got their attention because they hear my story,” McGee says. “They hear, ‘Hey, this is what I went through, and this is what I am now. I’m a doctor now. You can do it too.’”
A Hospital Responsibility
Gary is not alone in its battle against youth gun violence. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the United States increased by 50 percent. Thus, McGee says, hospitals across the country should prioritize developing intervention and prevention programs like POP.
“It’s almost a responsibility for hospitals now to conduct these kinds of programs,” says McGee. “The hospitals are now getting all these kids coming in. They’re seeing the recidivism where the same kid that was shot yesterday is now back again. They see these kids coming in with post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Following the first 10-week program, POP has seen no cases of recidivism.
“These kids have not been back,” McGee says. “Two of the kids are playing on a basketball team. Several kids got good jobs…and they’re doing well.”
One 14-year-old participant said visiting the morgue was the most impactful part of the program, and he walked away with a new perspective on gun safety.
“The lesson that I learned during the program was that a good thing happened because of something bad,” he added.
McGee says that participants from the first cohort not only have benefited personally but also serve as guiding voices for their peers. Participants are required to complete community service as part of the program, usually during community events POP hosts, and McGee says many youth continue to be involved even after completing the program.
“We are now also having these same young men be credible messengers to other kids,” he says.
Because of the program’s success so far, the county wants to host one cohort a quarter. McGee notes that community partnerships, such as the ones sustaining POP, are critical to ensuring program success.
“If we can all partner together, I think we can make a difference,” he says.
To learn more or support POP, visit poponviolence.org.
Author