‘The NRA Kicked A Hornets’ Nest’: California Gun Violence Researcher Thankful For Tweet That Galvanized Doctors
The NRA directed doctors to "stay in their lane," sparking a viral reaction from health care professionals who are often on the front lines of gun violence. "I’m sure they (the NRA) didn’t do it on purpose but they’ve done us a big favor," said Dr. Garen Wintemute, an eminent gun violence researcher and emergency room physician. Other public health news focuses on suicide and foster care, as well.
Sacramento Bee:
CA Doctor Analyzing Gun Violence Says NRA Tweet Helped Research
In the days after the NRA tweet, doctors around the nation and even some around the world began posting sometimes-graphic, sometimes-poignant messages that shined a light on just how gun violence spills into their practices and why they are invested in seeing it prevented. Their rebuke to the NRA coalesced into trending themes #ThisIsOurLane and #ThisIsMyLane, prompting hundreds of thousands of retweets and more than 500,000 likes. (Anderson, 12/2)
Fresno Bee:
Mental Health & Suicide Takes Toll On Lives Of Police Officers
Publicized deaths of officers mostly are of those who have died in the line of duty, but suicide takes more police lives nationwide than the number killed while on the job. In 2017, there were 129 officers in the U.S. who died in the line of duty in contrast to 140 officer suicides, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to increase awareness about mental health. (Anderson, 11/30)
Los Angeles Times:
Loretta Jones, Who Fought For Better Healthcare In L.A.'s Inner City, Dies At 77
A prolific foster-care mom whose 1979 move from Massachusetts to Los Angeles led to a collaboration with UCLA researchers that helped bridge the gap between community care and academia, Jones died Nov. 22 from esophageal cancer. Since 2011, Jones served as associate director of the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute, a research group focused on combining laboratory science with clinical and community experience to shape practical medical interventions “that improve the health of individuals and the public.” (Smith, 12/1)