Dr. James Bigham, a family medicine physician at UW Health, prioritizes firearm safety discussions during patient visits, asking crucial questions about gun storage near children. His initiative includes distributing trigger locks and partnering with local gun shop owner Steve D’Orazio to train healthcare providers on responsible firearm practices, a response to alarming local statistics showing that 75% of firearm deaths in Dane County in 2023 were suicides.
Through workshops and hands-on training, Bigham aims to normalize these conversations in healthcare settings, effectively combatting the stigma surrounding firearm safety talks. His collaborative approach has already trained over 150 healthcare providers and seeks to expand statewide as they develop practical resources for safe gun ownership, making strides in an area often overlooked by the medical community.
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