Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Mass Shootings, 'Why?' Often Becomes The Most Important Question No One Can Answer
The Washington Post: ‘I’m Constantly Asking: Why?’ When Mass Shootings End, The Painful Wait For Answers Begins.
Long after the sirens, vigils and cable news debates, the question remains. It nags at survivors and their families. It haunts investigators as they comb through the gunman’s belongings, text messages and the scattered pieces of his life. Even as our attention as a society fades, the mystery of motive lingers like an open, forgotten wound until the next shooting, the next cycle of grief, outrage and desperate search for answers. (Wan and Berman, 3/15)
Stateline: To Prevent Suicides And School Shootings, More States Embrace Anonymous Tip Lines
States across the country are responding to high-profile school shootings and rising teen suicide rates by creating tip lines modeled on Colorado’s. The programs aim to prevent young people from behaving dangerously, whether that means bullying, using drugs or killing someone. [Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman] said that Safe2Tell has saved lives in Colorado, and that such a system could have prevented the Parkland shooting. Nikolas Cruz, the expelled student who has admitted to shooting his former classmates at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, had a long record of disturbing behavior but it didn’t provoke a sufficient response from local authorities. A tipster’s warning to an FBI hotline was never communicated to local law enforcement. (Quinton, 3/16)
Health News Florida: Therapists Provide Free Counseling, Training After Parkland Shooting
Almost immediately after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Melissa Kornhaus, a licensed mental health counselor with a specialty in trauma therapy, was looking for a way to help. So Kornhaus, who’s based in Broward County, quickly organized Professionals United for Parkland—an all-volunteer group of more than 250 licensed mental health workers providing pro-bono therapy. Her group established a referral hotline, (443) 390-8343, for anyone in South Florida affected by the shooting. (Mack, 3/15)
The Wall Street Journal: The Court Case Making Gun Makers Anxious
A lawsuit in Connecticut against a leading maker of AR-15 rifles is awaiting a pivotal court ruling over whether the gun industry can be held legally responsible for mass shootings. The Connecticut Supreme Court is deciding whether to throw out a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by families of victims killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School against the manufacturer of the semiautomatic gun Adam Lanza used in the 2012 rampage. (Gershman, 3/16)
