MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Monday afternoon on North Graham Street, gunfire was heard outside an afterschool care program after police said an argument over a gun during a drug deal left three teens and one adult injured.
“When you hear that there’s been a shooting with multiple victims you are always very fearful about how sick they’re going to be how injured they’re going to be, how many victims are we going to get,” said Dr. Regan Williams, the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Trauma Services Medical Director.
Williams said while gunshot wounds affect kids physically the emotional and mental scars last longer.
“If you were a kid and you were walking down the street and all of a sudden you got shot that would be a street you probably never would want to walk down again,” explained Williams. “Maybe you’d never want to walk down a street at all again by yourself.”
The doctor said those children who suffer from fear and anxiety from a violent event have a greater chance of having mental health problems in the future.
“We know that victims of violent injuries are more likely to have a second violent injury and then also more likely to be perpetrators of violent crime in the future.”
More than 131 children have been treated with shooting injuries at Le Bonheur this year, not including three teens that were shot Monday. The hospital is on track to surpass last year’s record of 134 shooting victims who were children.
The children’s hospital says Regional One likely sees more child victims.
Doctors at Le Bonheur said seeing young gunshot victims has become routine. It’s now health care workers who are taking matters into their own hands to prevent gun violence in the first place.
Melissa Donahue with Baptist Memorial Health Care’s Concern Employee Assistance Program said mentorship to show positive role models is key.
She’s helping host an event Wednesday to help the community heal from trauma brought on by the pandemic and recent violence.
“Sometimes people just feel completely overwhelmed and so we want to make sure people know the resources that they have,” said Donahue, the director of the CONCERN EAP. “Signs and things to look for in themselves to say ok I may be struggling, what can I do?”
Dr. Williams also adds solving issues without guns will likely save lives.
“A lot of times we find that these incidents are people that know each other and so if we can really get into the community and teach them better conflict resolution, so when you get mad at people instead of shooting them maybe you could talk about it,” she said.
The CONCERN program is designed to help with stress, finances, emotional and physical health as well as drug, alcohol and gambling addictions.