AHS CEO James Jackson spoke with KTVU Thursday night about the growing gun violence crisis, which has significantly worsened since 2020.

The interview comes after a bloody July 4 weekend that saw numerous mass shootings around the nation, including one locally in Hayward, Calif. On July 5, a group of U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, asking them to publish a report addressing gun violence as a public health threat.

The recent shootings continue a years-long upward trajectory in gun violence both nationwide and in Alameda County. Trauma teams at the Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus have seen a 180 percent increase in gunshot wound patients.

Jackson noted that gun violence is a health equity issue and disproportionately affects people of color.

“What we see is not only is there the immediate violence to the individual, but there are the repercussions of the violence that impact our community,” Jackson said.

Watch the video and read the full article here.