Philadelphia Medicine Fall 2021 - 4

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Letter from the president
A
Stephen R. Permut,
MD, JD, and
President, PCMS
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s if the coronavirus pandemic,
with one or more variants at our medical
doorsteps, wasn't enough to handle, now
emergency rooms have to deal with frustrations
that turn into gunfights.
In the cover story by contributing writer
David A. Kostival, there are some stark
statistics that prove not only do we have a
viral epidemic, but an alarming outbreak of
violence.
Kostival writes that the pandemic " wasn't
the only tragic loss of life in Philadelphia,
as an epidemic of gun violence became the
fallout from the stresses of COVID-19 on a
stressed population. "
A daily count of gunshot victims has been
exacerbated by the challenges of keeping
coronavirus patients alive.
In 2020, Kostival reports, there were 1,836
non-fatal victims of gun violence in the city,
while 417 victims succumbed to gun shots.
As of Sept. 1, 2021, Philadelphia's Office
of the Controller reported 1,231 nonfatal and
306 fatal victims of gun violence.
To put the crisis into perspective, if we look
back to the most recent non-pandemic year,
there was a 56.9% increase in the nonfatal
victims of gun violence from 2019 to 2020
and a 37.6% increase in fatal victims.
That is simply unacceptable. That is too
much of a strain on our health systems. More
needs to be done to help console and counsel
those who have been most affected mentally,
emotionally and physically by the isolation
and stresses of lockdowns and ever-restrictive
pandemic protocols. We have to de-escalate
the violence.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Andy Andrews, Editor
Daniel Dempsey, MD
Corina Graziani, MD
Susan Robbins, MD, MPH, FAAP
My colleague, PCMS president emeritus
Dr. Natalia Ortiz-Torrent, has observed several
reasons for agitation, including substance use
disorders, such as intoxication and withdrawal.
" I think all of these factors potentially
contributed to violence, " she said. " People
4 Philadelphia Medicine : Fall 2021
with short fuses were getting into arguments
and had easy access to guns, whether legally
or illegally. I understand people wanting to
protect themselves, but at the same time, if
those people are struggling with depression,
anxiety, impulsivity or anger, it can be
problematic. In the heat of the moment,
things escalate and people can make the
wrong decisions. "
Future role
And if the challenges in city ERs aren't
enough concern, there is the turmoil of
uncertainty about the future role of Tower
Health.
Tower Health has approximately 14,000
employees and consists of Reading Hospital
in West Reading; Brandywine Hospital
in Coatesville; Chestnut Hill Hospital in
Philadelphia; Jennersville Hospital in West
Grove; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville;
Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown and St.
Christopher's Hospital for Children, which
is a partnership between Tower Health and
Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Recently, the Tower Health board signed a
non-binding letter of intent to begin what it
called " the process of developing an alignment
model with Penn Medicine based on its
renowned reputation for clinical excellence,
compassionate care, leadership in research
and innovation and commitment to the
community. "
It's an alliance that can help both
organizations.
Newly hired Tower Health CEO Sue
Perrotty said the alliance is a part of Tower
Health's ongoing turnaround.
" From our board to our dedicated
physicians, caregivers and administrative
and support staff, everyone at Tower Health
has worked incredibly hard to achieve this
positive milestone, " Perrotty said. " We are
stabilizing and strengthening our health
system for decades to come. "
Time will tell if this will work out.
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Philadelphia Medicine Fall 2021

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