Local hospitals strategize for worst-case-scenarios, LA celebrates Indigenous People's Day, pastors debate faith and gun control for Christians.
How SoCal trauma centers prepare for mass casualties
It’s been a week since a shooter opened fire on a country music concert in Las Vegas, killing 58 and injuring hundreds more.
Trauma centers were caught off guard and overwhelmed, treating injuries from the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
In an era when worst-case-scenarios keep worsening, how can hospitals prepare?
Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Mike Williams, president of the Abaris Group. He specializes in hospital trauma centers and systems.
1. Trauma centers learn from the military
The trauma center model is inspired largely by combat medicine. But how do medical professionals treat injuries from rapid fire weapons that are more akin to battlefield wounds than the gunshot wounds they frequently treat? According the Williams, "The surgeons... are prepared for those type of injuries. They go to seminars and frequently get that kind of exposure in their teaching program."
A lot about trauma medicine has been learned in recent years from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And local hospitals continue to benefit from military resources. Williams explained how the former ER at Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center in Willowbrook has a military connection. "The military used to send people in to do rounds and a sort of mini-internship because of their large number of high velocity injuries," he said.
2. Practice runs are critical
As hard as it can be for medical professionals to anticipate a worst-case scenario, Williams says the industry tries to prepare through walking through what a disaster situation would be like. "They train typically through rehearsals and mock simulations of large events or a large number of casualties. In fact, there was a mini-rehearsal the day before in Las Vegas by practitioners of a similar event, perhaps not anticipating the scope and the size of the event."
3. Prioritizing care is an important piece of the puzzle
As medical professionals and agencies process the events on October 1, there will be a lot of reflecting on how care can be improved in the event of future mass casualties. It's too early to know definitively what changes hospitals will make but Williams points out, it's not just about the medicine, it's how you strategize trauma care. "It's not so much treating the patients, it's getting the patients lined up, and then triaging the patients or sorting them according to their acute needs."
To hear the full interview with Mike Williams, click on the media player above.
Why some people attended Costa Mesa Gun Show after Las Vegas mass shooting
This weekend, Costa Mesa hosted California's largest gun show, the Crossroads of the West.
The event has been a presence in Orange County for 35 years. But this year's show comes on the heels of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Some outside observers thought a gun show so soon after such a significant tragedy was unwise. But those in attendance disagreed.
"I don't base [how I feel about] firearms off of what a crazy person does," said Jeremy Davis, referring to the Las Vegas shooting that left 58 people dead.
Davis was one of the people at Crossroads who was not there to buy a gun. Instead, he was looking for a gunsmith. "I have a firearm that needs a little bit of work, so if I can find someone here that's qualified then I can take it to him and have it repaired."
Donette Ennes was also not at the show to purchase firearms. But she does keep one on her for protection.
"I own some properties," Ennes said. "Sometimes I have workers coming that I’ve never met before, and me going as a female not knowing who I’m going to encounter, I conceal. They don’t know that, but in case I’m in the house by myself with a worker that suddenly goes crazy I’m prepared."
But Ennes said that the incident in Las Vegas weighs on her, even if it does not inform her gun decisions.
"It’s a tragedy," she said. "It’s someone that’s had some mental breakdown to cause them to do something unthinkable. I think responsible gun owners know that that is an isolated incident."
To hear more about the Crossroads of the West gun show, click the blue player above.
Trump administration makes hard-line proposal for Dreamers deal
The White House over the weekend unveiled what it wants out of any immigration deal that protects Dreamers – the young people who came to America illegally as children. And it's very hard-line, asking for a promise to build a wall on the Southern border and a crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities.
Take Two gets the low-down from Ted Hesson, immigration reporter for Politico.
To hear whether Democrats and Republicans are willing to compromise on a deal for DACA recipients, click the blue audio player above.
What's at stake for Southern Californians in upcoming California Water Fix delta tunnels vote
California's original inhabitants react to LA's first Indigenous People's Day
For years, today was marked on calendars as Columbus Day, but that is no longer the case in the city of Los Angeles. It is now Indigenous People's Day, following an August 30 vote of LA's City Council to rename the holiday. More than 50 cities across the country have already done so.
This past weekend, West Los Angeles was host to another event that redirects the focus away from Christopher Columbus. The Life Before Columbus celebration has taken place for 26 years to honor California's original inhabitants — the Tongva.
Reactions to the holiday's name change were mixed.
"It makes me so happy. Finally, right?" said Megan Dormay. "Before it was just sort of a dark day, always being reminded of colonization, of genocide."
Others were less enthused by the chosen branding of the holiday since it did not reflect on the Tongva's contributions to the U.S.
"It eliminates the Tongva," said Julia Bogany, a Tongva and Native American consultant. "It eliminates the first people of this land. We’re not recognized by the federal government, but we’re recognized by the state which eliminates possibilities of getting recognized as a people in general."
That fear of elimination made others believe that the best way to mitigate the issue would be to name the day after something more inclusive and general.
"I really don’t think it should be changed into anything but Immigrant's Day simply because we’re all immigrants," said Jay Renee Yarborough. "It really shouldn’t be this one or that one. It should be all of us because all of us have united together to create this beautiful country we’re in."
For more on the Life Before Columbus event, and Columbus Day's replacement with Indigenous People's Day, click the blue player above.
On the Lot: Hollywood and the fall of Harvey Weinstein
Allegations of sexual harassment brought down one of the biggest names in Hollywood, mega producer Harvey Weinstein of the Weinstein Company. He was fired after multiple allegations came to light recently, but will it be business as usual in Tinsletown or is this one too big to ignore?
Vanity Fair's Rebecca Keegan wades into the controversy, and talked about the big box office winner this weekend, Blade Runner 2049:
Do Christians have a moral obligation to push for stricter gun laws?
One week ago Sunday, a Las Vegas shooter gunned down 58 people before taking his own life. This past Sunday, churchgoers across the country gathered to pray and reflect on the violence.
But for many congregations, deciding what to do next is a complicated question. Political solutions like gun control can be a hot-button issue. So what do the tenets of Christianity require?
Take Two brought in two local faith leaders to hear their thoughts:
- Fred Berry, pastor at Azusa Street Mission in Downtown Los Angeles
- Mike Kinman, rector at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena
Mike Kinman, on his reaction to people posting "thoughts and prayers for Vegas"
The problem with thoughts and prayers is it's one of those things that at its core is good. We want to think well. We want to pray. We believe in the power of thought. We believe in the power of prayers. But what I believe is that thought and prayer only matter if it translates into action.
When thought and prayer becomes a deflection from action or even a deflection from a conversation that confronts the real issues that are at play here, then just saying "thought and prayer" — there really is a tone of blasphemy to that.
Fred Berry, a Republican, on whether thoughts and prayers are enough.
Well no, it's not enough. It starts with that, but then there has to be corresponding action with that. Now the question is: what is the action? What do we do to thwart this problem in the future? I'm trying to find a middle road now. We've got a problem in the church where we're being pushed by both sides, the left and the far right. The church is never supposed to be beholden to anybody.
My response would be, let's look at the cause of the problem and let's come up with a solution.
Mike Kinman, on whether Christians have a moral obligation to push for gun control
To respond to Pastor Berry on a couple of things and get to that — We talked before we started taping about a middle road. I'm not sure what a middle road looks like anymore, and I think part of the problem is — and you identified it yourself — we have a left and a far right. That's part of the problem with finding a middle road. Right now, this conversation is dominated — in fact, it's prevented — by the National Rifle Association, which is not just left versus right on an even field, it is far right. We have to stop pretending that the NRA is a rational communications partner in this with just a simple, alternate view of how we live as a society.
As a Christian, yes, we're not a theocracy, it's not a job for the church to make the laws, but we're supposed to be a clarion voice for morality, equity, and justice. And that means we believe thou shalt not kill. And that we should be a voice that says anything that makes it easier to kill, we stand against, and we are always for mitigating those factors, and we are always for decreasing the opportunity for death.
Press the blue play button above to hear about the steps that the two leaders think that Christians should take.
Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.