AHA issues statement in response to shooting at Tulsa hospital

A gunman June 1 killed at least four people, along with himself, in a shooting on the campus of Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Okla., police said. Rick Pollack, AHA’s president and CEO, this morning issued the following statement in response:

“Yesterday was another unfortunate example of gun violence in our country. This latest incident was in a medical facility, a place of healing, on the campus of Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Okla. We grieve with the victims and their families, as well as the entire Saint Francis Health System team, as they mourn the loss of four members of their community.

“This further reinforces the need for action to be taken to stop these tragic events. Legislators are working on a bipartisan effort to address gun violence, and we urge them to act quickly.”

AHA, through its Hospitals Against Violence initiative, has partnered with the National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center to provide resources and support surrounding incidents of mass violence for the communities and patients served by hospitals and health systems.

Tomorrow is AHA’s sixth annual #HAVhope Friday — a national day of awareness to end violence. Hospitals and health systems and their community supporters from across the country are sharing examples on social media of how they are standing up to violence and speaking out for their patients and communities.