By Anna N. Miller, MD, FAAOS, FACS, FAOA, on Behalf of the ACS Advisory Council for Orthopaedic Surgery
In the wake of the tragic Uvalde school shooting in May, the ACS made a public statement at a news conference on firearms that specifically focused on firearm violence as a public health crisis that needs to be addressed immediately. College leaders used the consensus recommendations of the ACS Committee on Trauma’s Firearm Strategy Team Workgroup on improving firearm safety to guide their message.
Following the College new conference, the ACS met with leaders from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA), which issued statements supporting the College’s work to address firearm violence.
The AAOS statement to its membership from president Felix H. “Buddy” Savoie III, MD, FAAOS, said, “We came to the conclusion that one important step is to endorse, promote and publicize the ACS firearm strategy in response to this ongoing public health issue.”
The message reiterated the AAOS’s desire for collaboration on efforts among the three organizations, and reaffirmed support for the finding of the June 2019 ACS Medical Summit on Firearm Injury Prevention: A Public Health Approach to Reduce Death and Disability in the United States. The AAOS formalized steps to:
- Actively support ACS's recommendations
- Further endorse, promote, and publicize ACS recommendations to AAOS members via academy communications
- Utilize AAOS advocacy resources to support appropriate legislation
- Reach out to partner organizations to encourage their support of these efforts
OTA President Michael T. Archdeacon, MD, said in a similar June statement, “The result of that call is a commitment to work together to endorse the ACS Firearms Safety Strategy and recommendations, and to increase collaboration in advocacy. I understand there are members of our association with differing viewpoints. However, as health care providers devoted to the care of the injured patient, and as leaders in injury prevention, we can all agree that the reduction of firearm violence falls within our mission.”
The ACS Advisory Council for Orthopaedic Surgery will continue collaborating and pushing forwarding with advocating on behalf of our patients to address the firearm violence public health crisis.
