Last January 8th, the world was horrified by the events in Tucson Arizona.  A mass shooting in a supermarket parking lot on a Saturday morning – 19 people shot, 6 died.  As tragic as this event was, it could have been worse had the emergency medical care providers and trauma team not been prepared.

It is no accident that the system performed well that day.  Emergency workers spend hours every year planning and training to ensure that the emergency care system is prepared.  In fact, the trauma and EMS system form the backbone of Arizona’s preparedness capability. Each and every day, without fanfare, members of this team do their ordinary jobs that have extraordinary impacts on their patients.

Normally, these events are not seen on TV or published in a newspaper, but as we now know, they are vitally important to the patient, the patient’s family, their community and to our State.

The events also prompted the state’s behavioral health system into full response.  Dr. Laura Nelson talks about her feelings on that day and the response on her blog.