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IMAGE: Jessica H. Beard, MD, MPH, FACS, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Director of Trauma Research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. view more
Credit: Temple University Health System
(Philadelphia, PA) - While the COVID-19 pandemic brought most of the country to a standstill in March 2020, Philadelphia trauma surgeons noticed an alarming trend in the incidence of firearm violence. Instead of decreasing with containment measures, firearm-injured patients were presenting at even higher rates to Temple University Hospital and other trauma centers around the city.
A team led by Jessica H. Beard, MD, MPH, FACS, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Director of Trauma Research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM), sought to determine the magnitude of Philadelphia s increase in firearm violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also aimed to understand potential causes of the increase by trying to pinpoint when
Nurses at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown ratified their first union-won contract Saturday, a pact that calls for an 18% increase in pay over five years.
The nearly 800 nurses went on a short strike in November after more than a year of negotiations failed to deliver an accord with Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, the owner of the 371-bed hospital, the largest in Bucks and its main trauma center.
The new contract ratified by 96% of the nurses meets several of their demands, including safe staffing, better wages, fair and transparent policies, and a continued voice in issues such as scheduling and grievance procedures. It was negotiated under the leadership of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, the union which St. Mary nurses joined last year.