Remember, You’re Not Dead
Apparently this was one of the things hired coaches said to fake victims of a fake mass shooting that was staged at a facility of the teaching hospital in Charleston, South Carolina last month. They also coached the victims to scream while the fake shooter, armed with a Simunition weapon, shot fake bullets and yelled “mocking insults” at the fake victims.
And, according to the article, this is all something we should celebrate and be proud of? Because it was so realistic. Because it was the first active shooter drill to include an active surgery. Because it means the institution really cares about making staff and patients safe.
Folks, WE HAVE OFFICIALLY LOST THE PLOT.
In a state that consistently ranks in the top 10 for gun violence death rate and has some of the weakest gun laws in the country, at one of the largest health systems, the approach to our nation’s gun violence epidemic seems to be to turn operating rooms into battlefields and nurses into battle-tested warriors.
Disclaimer: I worked at this institution for nearly 15 years. My pediatric colleagues there are incredible humans and physicians. Some of my dearest friends are leading their gun violence prevention efforts. And also, after I ran for Congress on the audacious platform of fighting for our kids, I was not welcomed back. So, I have thoughts. Many of which I will not share.
If you read the above-linked article, self-published on the institution’s website, it truly reads like The Onion. Then if you check out the Simunition website you will quickly realize how deep we are into this dystopian timeline where we accept gun violence as a way of life, and our response is for healthcare providers and kindergarteners to rehearse their death in the environments where they are expected to work and learn productively. Not only do we accept this reality, we have created an entire multi-billion dollar industry to prepare us to exist in this dystopia. It’s self-propagating. It’s disturbing. It must stop.
Side note: there is no evidence to show that these drills protect us (or schoolchildren) in the event of an actual mass shooting. There is however, an abundance of evidence to show that weaker gun laws lead to more gun deaths. And that secure firearm storage leads to fewer gun deaths. And that physician counseling about secure firearm storage leads to safer storage practices in the home. And that hospital-based violence intervention programs lead to fewer gun deaths.
And…there is growing evidence that these drills actually do more harm than good, particularly for our children.
If this large health system in South Carolina was engaged on all of these fronts–lobbying for common sense gun bills; lobbying against dangerous gun bills; educating students, residents, and practicing physicians about the importance of secure firearm storage; providing secure storage devices; fully funding an integrated hospital and community based violence intervention program; speaking out loudly about this devastating public health crisis and its impact on our community and the patients and employees of the health system–if it was doing ALL of these things–and still had time, energy, and financial resources to spare, then sure, it might make sense to explore the effectiveness of active shooter drills. And if they found an evidence-based program that has been shown to effectively protect patients and staff from death in the event of a shooting without causing unnecessary psychological harm, by all means, do it.
But that is not what is happening here. They don’t lobby against dangerous gun bills like open carry and permitless carry. They don’t lobby for common sense gun laws like universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders or child access prevention laws. They don’t encourage advocacy on the subject. They don’t teach their employees how to talk to patients about secure firearm storage. They sometimes (but not always) tolerate individual gun violence prevention efforts. Which, I can share from both first and secondhand experience, is exhausting for the individuals working tirelessly to protect their patients in an environment that isn’t particularly supportive.
This isn’t meant to be an indictment of a single health system. The teaching institution in Charleston, South Carolina is not unique in its reactive, insufficient approach to gun violence. Which by the way, is a public health crisis. The good news is there are incredible health systems leading the way, following the evidence, and demonstrating what a comprehensive public health approach to the issue can and should look like.
Unfortunately for those of us who live in South Carolina, my former employer seems to be leading the way in ignoring the evidence in favor of unproven, costly, dystopian active shooter drills. And then patting themselves on the back for it.
This is a public health crisis, and our health systems should be leading the way. Not shooting employees with rubber bullets.
And remember, like the fake victims in this drill, you’re also not dead, so join me in speaking up and demanding better.
They’ve lost their friggin minds 🤯 How is any of this good?
Yesssss!!! This!! ♥️