NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx Hosts Facebook Live with Stand Up To Violence (SUV) Team Members for Gun Violence Awareness Month
The SUV team shared their personal experiences around the issue of gun violence, their perspectives working to prevent violence, and their reflections as fathers
Jul 08, 2026
Bronx, NY – NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx hosted a Facebook Live event for Gun Violence Awareness Month with Stand Up to Violence (SUV) Medical Director Dr. Noé Romo and SUV outreach team members Jonathan Kimble, Eddie Miranda, and Kwame Thompson to talk about the impacts of gun violence on health, families, and the community. As Jacobi Hospital’s dedicated Hospital-based Violence Interruption Program (HVIP), SUV works to reduce gun violence in the Bronx community, respond to victims of violent trauma and impacted community members, and help mobilize community members and young people for peace. The SUV team members on the panel shared their personal experiences around the issue of gun violence, their perspectives working to prevent violence, and their reflections as fathers.
“Thank you to the SUV team for your tireless work and for sharing your personal stories,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx CEO Christopher Mastromano. “I am so proud of the SUV program for all they have accomplished and for how they continue to advance the conversation around resources for victims of gun violence and safety for the community.”
Through the NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx Facebook page, the SUV team discussed how they see gun violence – the country’s leading cause of death for kids and teens – as a public health issue. NYC Health + Hospitals treats gun violence like any other communicable disease, and has developed systemwide HVIP programming to help treat it. The unfortunate reality of gun violence in Bronx communities, and its disproportionate impact on children of color, prompted the creation of the SUV program at Jacobi Hospital 12 years ago. As a Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 2 Pediatric Trauma Center, Jacobi Hospital treats patients who have experienced violent trauma, many from gun violence. Through the SUV program, the hospital is able to extend support for victims, patients, and impacted communities through interruption, prevention, and community engagement services.
The panelists talked about how Stand Up to Violence, hospital staff, and law enforcement are not the only city leaders who play a role in reducing gun violence in the community. Faith communities, schools, and other community groups play an important role in the lives of young people and provide a safe, supportive environment. The panelists also discussed how parenting is a key source of guidance for children and teenagers to stay safe, learn what to do when not feeling safe, and to push them towards positive community spaces. The team also discussed how they support victims of gun violence beyond patients’ physical health needs following discharge by providing holistic support for their mental, emotional, and social wellbeing.
Dr. Romo shared an example of how the Bronx community coming together had a correlation with reduced shootings. When the Knicks were playing in this year’s NBA finals, between June 3 and June 13, there were no shooting victims in SUV’s community target areas and Jacobi Hospital’s trauma centers saw 22% fewer violent trauma patients compared to the same time period last year.
For Dr. Romo, the reduction in shootings during the NBA finals emphasized the power of community connection and his belief that we are all connected to one another. When asked what he most wanted viewers to takeaway he said, “We are all connected. The person you see walking down the street is someone’s father, someone’s mother, someone’s sibling, someone’s child.”
While the violence prevention teams do important work to help bridge the support between the hospital, the community, and victims of gun violence, the panelists also emphasized the importance of combining outreach efforts with the professional support of mental health professionals and social workers. The panelists closed their conversation by discussing how they’ve encouraged conversations around mental health with boys and men and elaborated on the need to share resources with the community so people know what is available if they need additional support.
For more information, please contact (718) 918-5000 for Jacobi Hospital and (718) 519-5000 for North Central Bronx Hospital.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine Diaz, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx, 718-918-4879
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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi is a 457-bed teaching hospital affiliated with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The facility has earned numerous Center of Excellence designations, accreditation, and recognition for its renowned Level 1 Trauma Center, Burn Center, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, regional Stroke Center, Snakebite Treatment Center, Breast Health Center, Bariatric Surgery Center, and Cancer Service. The facility also offers the region’s only multi-person hyperbaric chamber, allowing up to nine patients to dive together at one time. Jacobi Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Pavilion is a stunning complement to its inpatient acute care, allowing staff to provide patients with high-quality service in a modern, state-of-the-art environment. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/jacobi.
About NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx is a member facility of the NYC Health + Hospitals system, one of eleven acute care facilities within the City of New York. A 215-bed community hospital, North Central Bronx Hospital specializes in women’s and children’s services. It also provides Behavioral Health acute and ambulatory care. Its busy outpatient department has led the way in community-based care delivered in a compassionate and culturally-appropriate manner. Its Labor and Delivery service safely brings more than 1,000 babies into the world each year. North Central Bronx Hospital is committed to providing safe, high-quality medical care for any and all in need. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/north-central-bronx.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth — all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.