Restoring Hope Is Job One

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It’s happened before, and it was only a matter of time until it happened again. A brutal act of violence against a candidate for political office shatters the hope that reasonable people can exercise the democratic process. As has also happened before, these events cause a surge of short and long-term impacts on the health of society – especially children, teens, and young adults.

There’s no escaping the economic cost of violence. Gun violence is just one kind of trauma, costing the U.S. a staggering $557 billion annually according to the National Institute for Health Care Management. What’s behind that gargantuan number? Medical costs are less than $3B. Policing and criminal justice costs add $11B. Employer hits to revenue and productivity are half a billion dollars. These are small change in that $557B figure.