Trauma team exposes impact of Delaware gun violence in ‘The Ripple Effect’
Christiana Care hosted the Jan. 23 premiere screening of “The Ripple Effect,” a powerful documentary filmed at Christiana Hospital that shows the medical consequences of gang activity and gun violence.
“The Ripple Effect” features live footage within the Emergency Department as health care teams race to save the lives of shooting victims who have suffered life-threatening injuries. Following the screening of the film at Penn Cinema Riverfront in Wilmington, Christiana Care’s trauma team led a discussion about outreach efforts to dissuade youths from resorting to violence.
“The Ripple Effect” includes interviews with Christiana Care trauma surgeons, trauma nurses and other members of the health care team, as well as a patient who was treated for gunshot wounds at Christiana Hospital.
The panel discussion featured: Mark Cipolle, M.D., medical director of trauma surgery; Joan Pirrung, APN-BC, Trauma Program manager and trauma nurse; Geramie Butler, MHA, mental health associate; Kathy Boyer, RN, Injury Prevention Program coordinator and trauma nurse; and Glen Tinkoff, M.D., associate vice chair of emergency surgery at Christiana Care. Dawn Mosley of IAM Film Works, who produced the film, moderated the panel.
“The Ripple Effect” is the second of two videos about the medical consequences of gang violence that Christiana Care has spearheaded as a result of a grant from the Criminal Justice Council through the U.S. Attorney’s Office Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The first video, “Choice Road,” is a fictional film that tells the story of the medical consequences of one teenager’s decision to join a gang. Since its debut in 2011, “Choice Road” has been shown to almost 1,400 teens and 60 groups.
Among those attending the premiere were representatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office; Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams’ administration; members of the City of Wilmington Council; officers of Delaware State Police and Wilmington Police; and representatives of the Delaware Bureau of Prisons. Members of the Hope Commission, the Delaware Center for Justice and numerous other advocacy groups across the state also attended.
“Victims of gunshot violence and gang activity face not only death but devastating injuries that afflict them for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Cipolle said. “Our hope through this documentary is to deter more young people from resorting to crime so we can have fewer lives impacted by the very preventable problem of gun violence.”
The premiere received media coverage by 6ABC, WILM, NBC10, The News Journal, WDDE, WDEL and WHYY. Christiana Care’s trauma program also has received requests to screen “The Ripple Effect” from as far away as Rhode Island and Tennessee.
Christiana Hospital features the only Level I trauma center in Delaware for both adults and children — the only one of its kind between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Level I means it includes a full range of specialists and resources with the capability of providing total care for every aspect of injury, from prevention through rehabilitation.
Christiana Care’s outreach efforts in injury prevention include programs designed to reduce the rate of violent crime among children and teenagers, reduce injuries from preventable vehicular crashes and reduce falls among older adults.
A second screening of “The Ripple Effect” for Christiana Care employees was held at the John H. Ammon Medical Education Center.
For information about how to arrange a screening of “The Ripple Effect,” contact Kathy Boyer, RN, Christiana Hospital Trauma Program injury prevention coordinator, at 302-733-4250 or kboyer@christianacare.org.
