COLUMBUS, OH (AP) - Health care officials and local authorities have noticed an alarming trend that more youths are being shot in central Ohio than there ever have before.
Dr. Jonathan Groner, trauma director at Nationwide Children's Hospital, tells The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2hJcaLl ) that doctors across the region have seen an increase in young gunshot wound victims but are at a loss for a reason why.
As of October, Nationwide Children's has treated 58 patients under the age of 21 for gunshot wounds. That figure is the highest for the Columbus hospital in five years.
Columbus Public Health plans to hire a part-time epidemiologist next year to monitor neighborhood violence. A spokesman says the agency may begin to track injuries that stem from shootings in Columbus in the future.
Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
