LifeBridge Health’s “Safer Futures Program” Advances Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety
BALTIMORE — LifeBridge Health has launched the Safer Futures Program, a systemwide initiative designed to make firearm safety conversations, education and resources a routine part of health and wellness across the communities it serves.
The program reflects a coordinated, forward-looking approach to gun violence prevention, bringing education, outreach and clinical engagement together to help reduce harm and support safer futures for children, families, caregivers and communities.
“As a health system, it is our mission improve the health of people in communities we serve, which includes safety and wellbeing,” says Adam Rosenberg, vice president of violence intervention and prevention and executive director of Center for Hope. “The Safer Futures Program gives families, caregivers and providers the tools and connections they need to help prevent firearm-related injuries and save lives.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States, underscoring the need for efforts that are practical, accessible and rooted in community trust. Through the Safer Futures Program, LifeBridge Health aims to equip families with evidence-based safety information, support individuals in responsible firearm storage and provide clinicians with tools to guide thoughtful, supportive conversations about gun safety.
The program is a part of LifeBridge Health’s broader commitment to violence prevention and intervention efforts through Center for Hope, which offers integrated services designed to interrupt cycles of violence and address their long-term impact on individuals and communities.
The initiative is supported in part through grant funds, including a $200,000 grant award from the Maryland Department of Health’s Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention. This funding will support ongoing firearm injury prevention screening efforts, program staffing, educational outreach and the purchase and distribution of firearm safety devices.
Community Education and Resources
The Safer Futures Program includes a website that connects patients, families and community members with education and violence prevention resources. These include Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence and the Ad Council’s national Agree to Agree Campaign, in which LifeBridge Health is a partner.
A one-minute instructional video on the website walks viewers through how to safely secure a firearm using a gun lock, including unloading the weapon, checking the chamber and properly placing the lock to prevent the firearm from being fired.
The initiative also rolls out a 30-second TV ad encouraging caregivers and clinicians to “start the conversation” and recognize firearm safety as an essential part of overall health. The ad directs viewers to the website to find more information and resources.
Gun Lock Distribution
As part of the Safer Futures Program, free cable-style firearm locks will be available to the public at LifeBridge Health’s Center for Hope and to patients and families at Sinai Hospital and Grace Medical Center. The locks are provided as an educational and injury-prevention tool to encourage secure firearm storage and reduce the risk of unintentional shootings, youth access to firearms and suicide.
“In our emergency departments, we care for patients and families whose lives have been changed in an instant by firearm injuries,” says Farheen Qurashi, M.D., trauma surgeon at Sinai Hospital and Bloomberg Fellow alum with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. “Something as simple as securely storing a firearm can help reduce the risk of unintentional injuries, youth access and other devastating outcomes. By making gun locks and education readily available, we are providing practical tools that can help families keep their loved ones safe.”
Emergency department caregivers will be able to incorporate firearm safety discussions into patient care and offer gun locks and information about safe firearm storage practices.
Community members can obtain a free gun lock at Center for Hope during regular business hours. Lock boxes are also available. Center for Hope is located at 5400 Preakness Way in Baltimore.
Future plans include expanding firearm safety education and gun lock distribution to the emergency departments at Northwest Hospital and Carroll Hospital.
Building on Previous Advocacy
The Safer Futures Program builds on LifeBridge Health’s 2024-2025 award-winning Stop the Iron Pipeline campaign, which raised awareness about the illegal flow of firearms into Maryland. That effort highlighted how trafficked guns often travel along Interstate 95 from states with weaker gun laws.
Through community advocacy, the campaign helped mobilize public support and contributed to the passage of new legislation aimed at combating illegal gun trafficking in Maryland. The Safer Futures Program expands this work by translating awareness into everyday prevention efforts grounded in clinical care and community engagement.
“In surveys of our community members, concerns about gun violence, neighborhood safety and firearm safety continue to emerge as important issues affecting health and wellbeing,” says Jennifer Nickoles, president and CEO of LifeBridge Health. "The Safer Futures Program reflects our commitment to addressing firearm injury prevention as a public health issue through education, community partnerships and practical resources that can help save lives."
In addition to firearm safety education and resources, Center for Hope offers a range of trauma-informed services, including hospital violence response teams, outpatient mental health services and PAAVE (Pathways to Advocacy Against Violence Everyday) programming to support families who lost a loved one to homicide. Center for Hope is a national model for integrating services to prevent or intervene in cases of violence, whether it is intimate partner violence, child or elder abuse, or community violence.
About LifeBridge Health
LifeBridge Health consists of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Northwest Hospital, Carroll Hospital, Levindale, Grace Medical Center and subsidiaries and affiliates, including LifeBridge Health & Fitness. Sinai, Northwest and Carroll hospitals are acute-care general hospitals with complementary clinical centers of excellence. For more information, visit www.lifebridgehealth.org.