June 3, 2022 – Gun violence has become a public health issue. Tragic mass shootings occur more frequently in our schools, at the workplace and in public places where people shop. Fear grips many parents that their children may be shot on the way to school or playing in the yard.  Dr. Kelly Henry, a pediatric physician and parent of twin girls, has seen much trauma associated with gun violence.

She is conflicted with thoughts of joy and sorrow. “It is my twin girls’ last day of first grade. They run out to me so proud, beaming with excitement for the start of the summer. Their arms open and inviting. I hug them so tight. I do not want to let them go. To them, I am their proud mom excited for them to enjoy their summer filled with ice cream, swimming, and play dates with friends. Through them I see the faces of the children who were equally proud and excited for summer. The ones that will never have an opportunity to run to their parents and loved ones at the end of the school year.  I hold my kids so tight. Thankful that they are alive.”

Every day, gun violence is taking the lives of our children. For the first time, it surpassed car accidents in 2020 to become the number one cause of death for children and young adults in the United States. Over 45,000 people died by firearms in the United States in 2020. More than double this amount are injured by firearms every year.

Recent research on gun violence has revealed that storing a firearm locked and unloaded, and storing ammunition separately can be a deterrent to unwanted criminal behavior. The safe storage of firearms in homes where children are present leads to a decreased risk for unintentional injury and suicide in children.  Another significant finding is that almost 80% of school shooters obtain the gun from their home or the home of a relative.

Dr. Henry feels that the answer to the gun violence crisis is common sense gun policies such as universal background checks on all firearm purchases, banning assault rifles, instituting safe storage laws, having extreme risk protection laws to prevent dangerous people from purchasing or keeping firearms, and funding community-based violence interventions. Public awareness and education on the importance of preventing children’s access to guns should become a top priority. She opines that “We can and should do more for our children. Their lives are literally depending on us.”

 

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Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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ASHEVILLE, NC – June 3, 2022 – The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on June 4 indicate:

• The CDC reports that the risk level for Buncombe County is medium for the week ending June 9^th. For a community at a medium risk level, the CDC recommends:
  1. Wear a mask on public transportation.
  2. You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
  3. If you are at  high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and take additional precautions.
• There are 232 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 7 days down from 270 cases from the previous week.
• 66% of the total population have received their full primary vaccination series. This is unchanged for over 3 months
• 64% of people with full primary vaccination series have had at least one booster. This is up from 63% last week.
• The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations and of ICU patients are unchanged over the previous week.
• Wastewater surveillance may provide an early warning before individual testing shows that COVID-19 is spreading. The state dashboard reports that the 15-day rate of change of viral load for the Metropolitan Sewer District for Buncombe County is severely increasing for the time period ending June 1^st. The CDC website reports that the rate of change is severely increasing for the time period ending June 6^th.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

• Get vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
• People with any COVID symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID should get tested
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home

Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.

Save your face masks:

• The risk level may rise with a new variant
• A person at high risk for severe illness should speak with their health care provider
• Mask wearing is recommended for persons with a positive test, having symptoms, or exposure to someone with COVID-19
• Effective May 4, 2022, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services and the CDC recommend wearing masks in health care and long-term care settings. The N95 or KN95 mask offers the best protection. Wear a mask that is well-fitting.

At the most recent Community Update on June 7^th, Buncombe County Public Health Director Stacie Saunders says, “We are beginning to learn how to normalize our lives with COVID-19 likely to be around for the foreseeable future. This means riding out waves of cases with the tools we have like staying up to date of vaccines, utilizing testing options for quick identification, adding on additional precautions like masks and distancing when transmission is higher, and accessing treatment quickly if we are at risk for severe illness. It also means reducing and increasing the level of all of those tools and communications based on level of surges.”

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour