Einstein Healthcare Network's Gun Violence Task Force (a multidisciplinary team established to address gun violence as a public health crisis impacting our city and our community) invites you to participate in National Gun Violence Prevention Day (Friday, June 4) by wearing something orange and sharing pictures of yourself and your colleagues to show your support.

Why Orange?

Orange is the color of National Gun Violence Prevention Day in honor of Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed in Chicago in 2013 at the age of 15... just one week after performing in President Obama's second inauguration parade. After her death, Hadiya’s friends asked others to stand up, speak out and wear orange to raise awareness of gun violence, and people throughout the country responded.

As a level 1 Trauma center with one of the busiest emergency departments in Philadelphia, Einstein sees the tragic toll gun violence has taken on our community. And our employees don't just treat the wounds in the Emergency Department. We tend to family, rehab minds and bodies damaged by bullets, lessen the psychological trauma and address the inequities that put community members in dangerous situations in the first place.

And with gun violence up in Philadelphia by 58% since 2020 and 100 Americans killed by gun violence every day (230 are shot and wounded) we know there's more to be done.

The Gun Violence Task Force (GVTF) will make sure others see what we see, enhancing our advocacy for needed resources for victims and their families, and assisting young people who are at risk of future involvement in violence. The GVTF strives to expand our own impact, and support initiatives currently underway in the city to prevent gun violence.

So, on June 4, we encourage you (just like Hadiya's friends) to stand up, speak out, share what we see... and wear orange to participate in this national day of remembrance.

The Details:

Email pictures of you and/or your colleagues wearing orange and we will post them on the Einstein and MossRehab Facebook pages, Twitter, and Instagram. (You can even print out the attached Wear Orange sign to use in your pictures.)

Send picture(s) to Einstein’s Social Media manager, Greg Leone, at SocialMedia@einstein.edu so we can share them with our online community and help bring greater awareness to gun violence in our region.

When submitting a picture, remember:

• Department/group photos are encouraged.
• Please include the names of those in the picture, as well as department and campus
• Patients can not appear in the picture, including background
• Pictures and attire must be appropriate for a work environment
• Horizontal pictures are preferred over vertical pictures. (Pro Tip: Maintain the pose and hold your phone or camera steady for a full extra second after taking the picture to reduce blur)

Thank you for joining us in support of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.