AHA: Hospitals will continue to respond with care in wake of violence

The recent violence in communities across America may signal a “new normal” for necessary readiness, but America’s hospitals will continue to be there, ready to care, writes AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack in a column today in AHA’s Hospitals & Health Networks Daily. “Today’s new realities may require hospitals to redouble our efforts to be prepared. Whether that is working with community partners to offer youth and domestic abuse counseling programs and better behavioral health care services in a variety of settings and through a variety of channels – from emergency medical or mental health services, treatment and counseling programs to staffing 24-hour crisis lines – or reviewing the notice from the departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to help recognize and report potential suspicious activity and strengthen response plans, America’s hospitals will be there, ready to care.”