Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals Bolster Security After Tulsa Shooting; Doctors Push For Gun Laws
AP: Pain Management: Tulsa Shooting Exposes Threats Doctors Face
The deadly mass shooting at an Oklahoma medical office by a man who blamed his surgeon for continuing pain following an operation on his back underscores the escalating threat of violence doctors have faced in recent years. Michael Louis, 45, fatally shot Dr. Preston Phillips and three other people in Tulsa on Wednesday before killing himself. Police said Louis had been calling the clinic repeatedly complaining of pain and that he specifically targeted Phillips, who performed his surgery. (DeMillo, 6/3)
The Washington Post: Tulsa Gunman Angry Over Pain After Back Surgery, Police Say
A man who blamed his doctor for pain after back surgery last month bought guns in recent days before storming into a Tulsa medical building, killing four people and then himself, police said. Shortly before the attack at St. Francis Hospital on Wednesday, Michael Louis, 45, bought a semiautomatic rifle and drove to the medical building, specifically looking for his doctor Preston Phillips, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin told reporters Thursday. ... Authorities say Phillips operated on Louis on May 19. Louis was released less than a week later and called several times in the following days, complaining of pain and requesting treatment. On Tuesday, a day before the shooting, Phillips saw his patient. The next day, Louis called again to express his discomfort and ask for additional aid — the exact nature of which police did not disclose. (Bella, Knowles, Bever and Kornfield, 6/2)
Modern Healthcare: Hospital Shootings Spur System Safety Measure Review
"These tragedies show us that no one is exempt from the violence. We have seen an uptick in our communities," said Scott Strauss, vice president of security at Northwell Health, which has 21 hospitals throughout New York. "I don't know why people are killing people at the rate they are. These are crazy times, I haven't seen anything like it before." St. Francis said in a statement that it was grieving the loss of its four community members and thanked emergency personnel for their quick response. The health system has mass shooting "training and educational modules," but executives "couldn't speak to actual drills." (Kacik and Berryman, 6/2)
Forbes: Disgusted By Shootings, Doctors Push Congress On Gun Violence
The American Medical Association and a parade of medical care provider groups are intensifying their calls for Congress to pass gun control legislation, frustrated at the mounting death toll of Americans including children, teachers and – just this week – physicians. The AMA, which said it has more than 20 years of policy positions designed to reduce firearm trauma, injury and death, is expected to renew and strengthen its push for gun control measures when its policy-making House of Delegates meets for its annual conference later this month. The AMA is among several healthcare provider groups that are repeatedly bombarding Congress and media outlets with their calls for legislation to address firearm violence with gun control legislation. (Japsen, 6/3)
Biden, Democrats push for 'red flag' laws, assault rifle bans —
NBC News: Biden Calls On Congress To Act On Gun Control, Saying 'Too Many' Schools Have Become 'Killing Fields'
President Joe Biden laid out specific actions he wants Congress to take on gun control legislation Thursday, calling Republican congressional opposition to the measures “unconscionable.” ... He said lawmakers should reinstate the ban on so-called assault weapons, like AR-15s, and ban high-capacity magazines. If those weapons aren’t banned, the age to purchase them should be raised to 21 from 18. Biden said Congress should also strengthen background checks, including requiring them at gun shows and in online sales; enact safe storage and red flag laws; and repeal the immunity that protects gun manufacturers from liability. (Pettypiece, 6/2)
Bloomberg: Democratic Bill To Address Gun Violence Clears House Committee
A House committee approved a package of gun legislation that would raise the minimum age to purchase some semiautomatic rifles and prohibit sales of high-capacity ammunition magazines in the latest attempt by Democrats to respond to mass shootings across the nation. The Judiciary Committee voted 25-19 along party lines Thursday to move the legislation to consideration before the full House, which could come as soon as next week. But it’s not likely to get traction in the Senate because of Republican opposition to many of the provisions. A bipartisan Senate group is negotiating other measures. (Dillard and Dennis, 6/2)
KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Washington’s Slow Churn
In the wake of three high-profile mass shootings in less than a month, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have renewed negotiations over legislation that could stem gun violence. But even those who are trying to reach an agreement on the long-divisive issue acknowledge that finding consensus remains an enormous task. (6/2)
Also —
Reuters: Routing Of Emergency-911 Calls Questioned In Texas School Massacre
Emergency-911 calls from children hiding from the gunman who killed 21 people inside a Texas elementary school were not routed to the on-scene police commander who waited nearly an hour before officers moved in to end the siege, a state senator said on Thursday. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat whose constituency includes Uvalde, Texas, the town 80 miles west of San Antonio where last week's shooting occurred, said the lapse in how 911 calls were transmitted was part of a larger "system failure" that is still just coming to light. (Brooks and Gorman, 6/2)
The Texas Tribune: Uvalde Shooting Survivors, Community Must Now Cope With Trauma
Eight days after surviving the shooting at Robb Elementary, 9-year-old Zayin Zuniga returned to the school grounds to visit the memorial for his slain classmates. Zayin and his mom approached one of the 21 crosses that were set on the school’s lawn to honor each of the victims killed last week: the one for Eliahna Amyah Garcia, 9, whom Zayin called Ellie. After a school dance at Robb, Zayin decided he wanted to give Ellie a gift. He begged his mom to get him a ring that he could give her. He was never able to do it. (Lopez, 6/3)
ABC News and Medpage Today: What Happens When Kids Experience A Traumatic Event?
Three days after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, social worker and child therapist Bonnie Rumilly arrived in Newtown, Connecticut, to help with crisis counseling. It quickly became obvious that this would become "a long-term deployment," said Rumilly, who spent 4.5 years working with children who survived the attack. While she feels a fierce loyalty to her young patients and their privacy, Rumilly said her experience with Sandy Hook revealed that pediatric trauma is highly individualized, and that children are not just little adults when it comes to the way trauma manifests. (D'ambrosio and Fiore, 6/2)
The Wall Street Journal: The Altered Lives Of America’s School-Shooting Survivors
At 15, Brittney Thomas saw a close friend get shot to death at school. Twenty-five years later, she was in a grocery store near her Kentucky home when her phone flashed an alert about the elementary-school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Ms. Thomas started hyperventilating. A stranger asked if she needed help. Ms. Thomas sobbed that she couldn’t find the creamed corn, left her groceries behind and ran out to her car. (Elinson, Campo-Flores, McWhirter and Frosch, 6/2)
