182 kids have been shot in Philly in 2022. Here’s how to help survivors. | Expert Opinion

A 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, shot inside homes. An 8-year-old, shot playing in front of her house. Several teens, shot on the street. Five high school football players, shot walking off the field after an early season scrimmage; one, Nicolas Elizalde, died.

It reads like a war zone. But it’s the last 30 days in Philadelphia.

This year, 182 children have been shot in our city. As a mother and pediatrician, my heart bleeds for each young life. With every new report, I think of my patients who’ve survived being shot — of the shock and fear that compound their physical injuries. And I think of the families I care for whose children did not survive — of their stunned and crestfallen faces in the immediate aftermath and the way, when I ask how they’re doing after one or five or 20 years, their eyes still well with tears.

Multiple studies have examined the long-term impacts of gun violence, and findings confirm what I’ve experienced in practice over 24 years: This kind of trauma can have devastating, long-term effects on psychological, cognitive, and physical health. These effects are particularly pronounced when the trauma is severe or prolonged, and children are especially vulnerable.

When gun violence changes lives, it is often forever.

When gun violence changes lives, it is often forever.

This is why, while we work toward preventive solutions, we cannot forget the support so desperately needed by the people most impacted. Survivors include not only those whose bodies have been pierced by bullets, but also those who know and care about someone wounded or killed, those who’ve witnessed a shooting, and — like the students at Roxborough High and many other schools in Philadelphia — those whose communities have been stunned and shaken by violent incidents.

In 2021, nearly 85% of shooting victims in Philadelphia were Black. The disproportionate impact on already disinvested and underresourced communities cannot be overstated.

How can we help? What do gun violence survivors need to not only survive but to heal? These questions should be at the forefront of every effort and conversation.

In my practice, when I ask these questions, recurring themes emerge.

Many parents say they need time away from work to grieve, care for children, and reorder their lives. Depending on the workplace, this may or may not be possible.

Some families need financial assistance to help cover medical bills, make homes wheelchair accessible, or — worst of all — plan funerals. Programs like the Victims Compensation Assistance Program provide such support but can be challenging to navigate.

Many survivors are interested in counseling or peer support. We have excellent, trauma-informed options in Philadelphia, but mental health providers are struggling to meet the increased demand.

Almost all survivors seek solace in their friends, families, and communities. Thankfully, this is again possible now that recreation centers, schools, and places of worship are open.

And every person I’ve ever known who’s been personally affected by gun violence needs one thing most of all: to feel safe, and to feel that their loved ones are safe.

These themes are reflected in the literature as well. Factors proven to mitigate the impact of significant trauma include social connections, nurturing families and communities, mental health services, concrete support, and protective environments.

Strategies that prevent gun violence from occurring in the first place are the ultimate answer — but these take time, complex negotiations, and financial resources. Commonsense gun legislation, for example — such as background checks, safe firearm storage laws, and extreme risk protection orders — has been shown to reduce violence, and so has investment in education, youth mentorship, economic opportunity, and urban renewal.

These interventions, while essential to the health of this city and the people who live here, are slow in the making. Meanwhile, bullets keep flying. People’s lives are being decimated and the need expands every day.

» READ MORE: I was shot in the head as a child. It took 20 years, and other survivors, to heal

So while we focus resources on prevention, we must also concentrate on helping survivors heal.

We have models that work. We can learn from community organizations that provide impactful support and from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Temple University Hospital, and others that provide trauma-informed counseling and case management to help survivors navigate complex care systems.

We can build from these models and add systemic changes to meet the wide and varied needs of those who are suffering. Paid time off policies, increased funding for programs like the Victims Compensation Assistance Program, as well as training, recruiting, and supporting mental health professionals — ideally of diverse racial backgrounds — are crucial to supporting gun violence survivors in our city.

While we work to stop the bloodshed — while we do everything in our power to keep September’s gun violence from repeating — let’s put survivors at the center. Let’s pour our hearts and souls and every resource we have into supporting the children and families at that early fall football scrimmage, and at every home, street, and park impacted by gun violence.

Dorothy R. Novick is a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and a scholar with CHOP’s Center for Violence Prevention. @dorothynovick