Authors: Greta Park Deepak Prabhakar
Publish Date: 2015/12/21
Volume: 40, Issue: 1, Pages: 194-195
Abstract
Nationwide gang membership is on the rise and has harmful effects on individuals and communities 1 2 3 Gang membership presents the risk of becoming a victim victimizing others and developing both internalizing and externalizing disorders 3 4 5 In caring for patients clinicians are tasked with not only performing risk assessments but seeing and understanding patients as a whole person within the context of their family community and society at large What happens when we do not fully understand our patients or the communities in which they live Given the criminal justice aspects and social stigma associated with gangs members are often reluctant to identify themselves to healthcare providers And unlike first responders who are familiar with the community and have direct knowledge of local gangrelated issues medical residents frequently do not share this connection as they are often not native to the city and local culture they train in We sought
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