Thoughts from a Pediatric Surgeon in the Desert: Time for Action

Tomorrow, December 14^th, marks the 5th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT.

At 9:30 AM December 14, 2012 Adam Lanza entered the school armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle and two handguns. He entered two classrooms and killed 20 first graders and 6 school staff members. Police arrived within minutes of the call, and the shooter turned a gun on himself.

Unfortunately, since that terrible day in Sandy Hook, there have been 1,552 mass shootings with at least 1,767 people killed and 6,277 wounded (https://www.vox.com/a/mass-shootings-sandy-hook), depending on which definition of a mass shooting one uses (see more on this issue: http://time.com/4965966/mass-shootings-las-vegas/). But the point is not to quibble on these numbers. The fact remains that too many people have fallen victim in these incidents.

A recent piece in JAMA Network by Dr. Donald Berwick urges all of us, as physicians, to do more than offer prayers and support after incidents such as these. While we as surgeons often are also called to action to tend to these victims, and bear the terrible news to their families, we must also do more. He states, “The work of a physician as a healer cannot stop at the door of an office, the threshold of an operating room, or the front gate of a hospital. The rescue of a society and the restoration of a political ethos that remembers to heal have become the physician’s jobs, too.”

(Read full article here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2665004).

Drs. Peter Masiakos and Cornelia Griggs, in a perspective written last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, entitled The Quiet Room, also urge all of us to do more than just discuss the issues, “It is a time for more than a discussion. Surely there is, in our collective power, some more concrete way to address the public health crisis that is gun access. We can no longer allow one mother after another to know the pain of losing a child to senseless gun violence. We remain haunted by their screams.”

(Read full article here: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1714825#t=article).

As the Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the American Pediatric Surgical Association, I am pleased to be part of a call to arms letter written with Dr John Petty, Chair of the APSA Trauma Committee, and Dr Henri Ford, President of the American Pediatric Surgical Association. My collaboration with them on this effort has led me to read about the twenty-six victims, watch the Newtown documentary (see below and have tissues handy), and become engaged and passionate about doing more. I have taken the Sandy Hook promise and I will use every opportunity I can to do more and be more involved. So, I am sharing our message from that letter with you and encouraging all of you to do more. Through APSA, we are encouraging our members to wear green ribbons or remembrance, and we will be highlighting many of these ideas on social media throughout the day tomorrow. Please join our APSA message and our day of action.

Let us all remember those who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but let us all take action as well. Below are some ways to act in remembrance of Sandy Hook. Wear a green ribbon. Green and white were the school colors of Sandy Hook Elementary School. For many, this ribbon symbolizes the Sandy Hook shootings. Use the ribbon as a point of conversation to talk with someone about childhood firearm injuries. Take a moment of silence at 9:30 AM. Interrupt your typical activity at 9:30 AM, the time when the shootings began. Mention Sandy Hook to the people who are with you at that time. Read the names of the people who were killed. Ring a bell 26 times. Pray for their families. Or, think of some other way to honor the moment of the shootings. Consider doing 26 acts of kindness in remembrance of the 20 children and 6 heroic staff members who died that day (https://www.facebook.com/26acts).

Or consider one of these 26 actions, some of remembrance, some of action:

1. You can learn the stories of the people who died at Sandy Hook and make a gift in their honor. https://mysandyhookfamily.org/

2. Donate to Mary’s Fund, in honor and memory of Mary Sherlach, one of the teachers killed that morning. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/fccfoundation

3. Donate to Kids in the Game in honor of Jack Pinto, one of the children killed at Sandy Hook. https://www.kidsinthegame.org/jack-pinto/

4. Honor the memory of Olivia Engel by making a donation to the Newtown Park and Bark Project http://oliviaengel.org/

5. Join the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement and support the Enrichment Program, a free pre-K through 12^th grade social and emotional learning program in memory of Jesse Lewis who was killed at Sandy Hook. https://www.jesselewischooselove.org/

6. Become one of Dylan’s wingmen by supporting the Dylan’s Wings of Change foundation devoted to children with autism. Established to honor the memory of young Dylan Hockley, killed at Sandy Hook. http://www.dylanswingsofchange.org/

7. Honor Chase Kowalski, killed at Sandy Hook, by donating to the CMAK (Chase Michael Anthony Kowalsi) Sandy hook Memorial Foundation. To honor and capture Chase’s competitive spirit and vitality, this charity focuses on promoting health and welfare initiatives for children and their families. http://www.cmakfoundation.org/

8. Make a donation to the Allison Wyatt memorial fund, which donates all of its proceeds to licensed charitable organizations such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Ronald McDonald House Charities and the International Child Art Foundation. http://allisonwyattmemorialfund.org/

9. Support arts programs in schools and communities through a donation to the http://emilieparkerfund.com/ and honor Emilie Parker who was killed at Sandy Hook.

10. Donate to http://anagraceproject.org/ Founded in 2013 in memory of Ana Grace Márquez-Greene, The Ana Grace Project was born as a response to the tragedy that took her life in Sandy Hook, CT on 12/14/12. “Love Wins” is the slogan adopted by her family immediately after the tragedy. It has been a rallying cry. The Ana Grace Project is dedicated to promoting love, community and connection for every child and family through three lead initiatives: partner schools, professional development, and music & arts.

11. Be a shining light and support http://benslighthouse.org/ Ben’s Lighthouse establishes programs that empower young people to develop the self-awareness, empathy and social connections they need to find and share their own light. #HelpingIsHealing. This organization was formed in honor and memory of Ben Wheeler who dreamed of becoming a lighthouse keeper.

12. Support the Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, http://vickisotomemorial.com/, which promotes a love of education by honoring Vicki’s passion for life and commitment to teaching. Ms. Soto was a first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary.

13. The Jessica Rekos Foundation was formed in an effort to continue Jessica's love of horses, to continue her whale "research," and to allow people to remember our little girl through her beloved horses and whales. Our mission is to create and fund programs and events that will allow others to experience Jessica's passions. Additionally, we will support school security efforts to protect children like Jessica and her classmates. Honor Jessica’s memory by supporting her foundation: http://www.jessicarekos.org/

14. Consider “What Would Daniel Do” spread his light and remember Daniel Barden http://www.whatwoulddanieldo.com/

15. Help empower a Nation of Safer School Communities and support https://www.safeandsoundschools.org an organization founded by Sandy Hook parents, educators and community members, inspired by the children and educators who perished on December 14, 2012.

16. Honor Avielle Richman through a donation to the foundation her parents founded in her honor, https://aviellefoundation.org. The mission of the Avielle Foundation is to prevent violence and build compassion through neuroscience research, community engagement, and education.

17. Get involved and take the Sandy Hook Promise! https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/

18. Watch the documentary Newtown, available on pbs.org. Filmed over the course of nearly three years, Newtown uses deeply personal, never-before-heard testimonies to tell the story of the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history. Through raw and heartbreaking interviews with parents, siblings, teachers, doctors and first responders, Newtown documents a traumatized community still reeling from the senseless killing, fractured by grief but driven toward a sense of purpose. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/newtown/

19. Talk to your children. Talk to the children in your life about guns, safety, suicide, signs of threat at school, bleeding control, the Sandy Hook shootings, or any of the many issues that intersect around this. Your children will hear it best from you. If it is important to you, it will become important to them.

20. Take the ASK pledge. If you’re like most parents, you probably have some questions the first time your child asks to play with a new friend or in a new place. How will they be supervised? Are the TV shows and games age-appropriate? What about Internet access and pets and allergies? However, we’ve learned that there’s one important question that over half of parents never think to ask: “Is there an unlocked gun where my child plays?” Asking this simple question is an important step every parent can take to help keep their children safe, and possible save their child's life. https://www.bradycampaign.org/our-impact/campaigns/keep-kids-and-families-safe

21. Be available to your schools. Contact your local school district to offer your assistance and expertise. Become familiar with the school district’s emergency management plan. Know the names and means for contacting school health and safety team staff and how you may assist them in the event of a crisis.

22. Contact you state legislators and members of Congress. Reach out to your representatives and advocate for improved gun safety legislation and funding for mental health services. Urge them to support HR4477/S2135, a bill to enforce current law regarding the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4477/text and https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2135/text

23. Become a mental health advocate. Advocate in the community for improved mental health services including access to mental health professionals, community-based psychosocial interventions, and substance abuse services. Begin discussions with community mental health providers, schools, and parents on ways to improve early identification, treatment, and referral services for students.

24. Provide free gun locks in your clinics. Many police departments will give out free gun locks. Put them in your clinic, in your ED. Hand them out for free in a non-threatening way. Engage in conversations with your patients and their parents about safe gun storage.

25. Learn more about protecting children from guns and gun violence:

https://www.safekids.org/tip/gun-safety-tips

https://www.bradycampaign.org/about-brady

http://lawcenter.giffords.org/

https://momsdemandaction.org/

http://www.childrensdefense.org/

26. Learn more about mental health issues, research and advocacy:

http://hcsrn.org/mhrn/en/

https://childmind.org/

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/

https://www.bbrfoundation.org/

https://www.nami.org/#