As part of its ongoing campaign to end violence in the community, UCSF/Mount Zion is spearheading a citywide gun exchange this month in which San Francisco residents will be urged to turn in their handguns.

The campaign, called "One Less Gun...One More Life," has activated other medical centers, community groups and houses of faith that are working together on the issue of handgun violence.

Coinciding with the Martin Luther King holiday, the gun exchange will be held Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, 1050 McAllister St., San Francisco from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. During the event, gift certificates for merchandise from area stores will be given to those who turn in operable handguns. BASS will also provide tickets to sporting events and concerts in exchange for weapons.

"By offering a gun exchange, we are doing our best to take weapons off the street, thereby reducing the possibility of them being involved in a violent incident,” said Marty Diamond, director of the UCSF/Mount Zion Medical Center. "We are trying to spare society both an individual who might be hurt as well as the costs of caring for that person for a lifetime."

Diamond has actively worked with UCSF/Mount Zion medical staff for the past few years to find ways to combat violence. At a time when gun violence is the leading cause of death to youth, UCSF/Mount Zion has taken a leading role in the hospital community.

"I believe deeply that hospitals are important providers of care in the community. We need to be leaders in building communities and healthier societies," Diamond said. "It's in our best interest to get involved in violence prevention. It's also a natural for health care workers who want to improve the human condition."

Along with Meg McNamara, chief of pediatrics for UCSF/Mount Zion, Diamond initiated the UCSF/Mount Zion Violence Prevention Program, which provides services for selected families in the Western Addition. Through funding from Mount Zion Health Systems, the Morris Stulsaft Foundation, the United Way and the state's Healthy Start program, Mount Zion's Violence Prevention Program provides counseling and education, emergency child care, and intensive family intervention for 45 families in the Western Addition who have been affected by violence. The program also offers a successful ongoing series of classes on Afrocentric Parenting Skills. McNamara has also instituted a training to help medical residents recognize symptoms of violence in families.

"Because of the devastating effects of violence on the health and well-being of our citizens, many physicians now view violence as a public health problem," McNamara said. "It's important to know that guns in the household are much more likely to be used against a family member than on an intruder, and if we can prevent even one accidental shooting then we will have had a successful event."

The gun exchange is not a new idea, but a way to keep the issue on the front burner, according to Diamond. As a prelude to the gun exchange, organizers have scheduled presentations to community groups throughout the city on the topic of gun violence. Directing the effort is Dionne Carter of San Francisco Neighborhood Partnership, who has enlisted youth from Columbia Park Boys and Girls Club and the Omega Boys Club to make presentations.

Only one exchange has been held previously in San Francisco, in 1993. While no one expects criminals to turn in their weapons, sponsors of the gun exchange hope it will create an awareness of how prominent guns are in everyday life. "By working with youth who are gang members, we are hopeful they too will participate in the exchange after learning about the devastating impact an injury from handguns has on a person," Diamond added.

Nationally, more than 500,000 emergency room visits each year are attributed to violence.

In San Francisco, firearms caused 117 deaths in 1993 and were used in 80 percent of all homicides. In 1993, there were 436 visits to San Francisco General Hospital's emergency department for firearm injuries.
With the cooperation of the San Francisco Police Department, organizers of the "One Less Gun. . . One More Life," campaign have scheduled two gun exchange events to allow more neighborhoods to participate. Following the first event on Jan. 17, a second exchange has been scheduled for Feb. 14.

In addition to UCSF/Mount Zion, some of the organizations and health agencies participating in the effort include Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Francisco General Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital, St. Mary's Medical Center, Saint Francis Memorial Medical Center, the Hospital Council, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Neighborhood Partnership, Physicians for a Violence Free Society, Pacific Center for Violence Prevention, Safety Network, Brothers Against Violence, Target Cities Faith Initiative, Jones United Methodist Church and the San Francisco Interfaith Coalition.

By Dale Martin

1st appeared 1/13/98

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