Preparing Doctors For A Mass Shooting: ‘The Battlefield Has Been Brought To Our Communities’
Recognizing that mass shootings are something doctors face more frequently, the American College of Emergency Physicians assembled a task force to better improve response, using the military as a model. Meanwhile, the White House says there's no plan to lift restrictions on blood donations from gay men, even as Democrats try to move on it.
The New York Times:
Orlando Injuries Were Severe, But Trauma Care Was Nearby
In a scene more like a battlefield than an emergency room in a large American city, dozens of people hit by gunfire poured into the Orlando Regional Medical Center in the dark predawn hours of Sunday morning, lining the hallways and filling the operating rooms. The largest mass shooting in American history happened just a few blocks from the region’s only major trauma care hospital — an event that illuminates the new challenges facing emergency medicine. The gunman fired on his victims in a packed gay nightclub with an assault rifle that caused deep, gaping wounds. He also shot at them with a handgun whose smaller-caliber rounds, in some cases, bounced around inside their bodies, inflicting internal injuries. “If they had not been three blocks from the hospital, they might not have made it to the hospital,” said Dr. William S. Havron, a trauma surgeon at the center. (Grady, 6/14)
The Hill:
Dems Consider More FDA Funding To End Ban On Gay Blood Donors
Top House Democrats are eying more funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help speed up the agency’s effort to eliminate the decades-old policy preventing many gay men from donating blood. (Ferris, 6/14)
Roll Call:
Democrats Try Again To Lift FDA Blood Donor Ban For Gays
House Democrats said Tuesday they may try to pass legislation to end a Food and Drug Administration policy that prevents gay and bisexual men from donating blood unless they have been celibate for one year. Such a measure may be difficult to get past Republicans. Even President Barack Obama’s administration has been reluctant to urge the FDA to change its policy, saying that the decision should solely be based on scientific evidence provided by the agency. (Rahman, 6/15)
The Hill:
WH: No Plans To Reverse Blood Donation Ban For Gay Men
The White House said Tuesday it has no plans to lift restrictions on gay men who want to donate blood in the wake of a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. (Fabian, 6/14)
