New report finds firearm injuries leading to emergency department visits spiked since 2019

PORTLAND — A new study published calls firearm injuries that lead to emergency department visits in both urban and rural Oregon a “public health crisis that continues to grow at an alarming rate.”

Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University School of Public Health on Oct. 30 published the report, “Firearm Injury Emergency Department Visits in Oregon, 2018-2021,” show emergency department visits due to gunshot wounds increased from 459 in 2019 to 837 in 2021, nearly doubling in the span of just two years.