Youth gang violence has continued its upward trend nationwide. It was once thought that gangs only convened in selected areas, which left churches, schools, and hospitals as "neutral" territory. Unfortunately, this is a fallacy. Gang violence has poured into the schools, community centers, and hospitals. As a result, it has forced some Emergency Departments (ED) to reevaluate the way that they triage and subsequently treat their patients. ED throughout the country are seeing first-hand the debilitating and often deadly effects of youth gang violence. In Los Angeles County, over 1,400 street gangs have a total membership exceeding 170,000 (pop: over nine million as of January 2000). Demographics show gang member age average of 15 with a range of 8-22 years. The recent influx of youth gangs in Los Angeles can be directly attirbuted to the disbandment of the LAPD Gang Detail Unit. However, not only in California is gang violence problematic, but also throughout the US gang violence has risen 25% over the last year. It is therefore imperative that hospital personnel, particularly those in the ED, and those involved with the direct care of these "at risk" youth become educated on how to identify the signs and syptoms of gang activity. The purpose of this paper is to not only inform medical and public health personnel about gang activity and how to safeguard themselves and others around them, but also encourage all of us to realize that gang violence affects us all regardless of socioeconomic class, occupation, or geographic location.
Learning Objectives: Inform and educate those in the medical and public health communities, how to identify the signs and symptoms of gang activity and how to safeguard themselves and others around the hospital.
Keywords: Youth Violence, Injury Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.