December 1998
Volume 62 |
Number 12
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WHAT'S NEW IN…
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| ... Actions to
Stop Violence Against Physicians |
In response to the murder of New York physician Barnett Slepian,
M.D., (see page 1) and the growing threat of violence being directed
at physicians, the American Medical Association (AMA) recently
issued a statement denouncing any act of violence against physicians
and supporting physicians' rights to practice medicine within
the extent of the law.
On November 2, a contingent of six physicians led by D. Ted
Lewers, M.D., AMA Vice Chair, met with 18 top federal law enforcement
officials at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., to
discuss violence against physicians and to ensure that the U.S.
government is doing everything possible to protect physicians
against terrorists. Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder has assured
AMA leaders and members of other physician groups that the issue
of violence against physicians and health care workers is a matter
of "highest priority."
"Every day, the AMA, its physicians and our entire medical community
play a critical role in helping those who are victimized by violence.
Now we are asking others to help us," Dr. Lewers said.
During the hour-long meeting, the Justice Department shared
copies of the U.S. Marshalls' security guidelines with physician
leaders. The federal officials urged state and county medical
societies to hold similar meetings with state and local law enforcement
officials to exchange concerns and information about violence
in their medical communities. "We requested an 800-number for
physicians to call if they feel threatened," Dr. Lewers said.
"The Justice Department is considering our comments and suggestions,
and we will be in constant contact on this issue."
Among AMA's first projects will be to collect and update the
educational material now available and to publish a "best practices"
guide for violence prevention in the medical workplace. "We will
take the best of the best, including the advice of the Justice
Department, to be sure physicians and health care workers have
every available tool for their protection," Dr. Lewers said.
AMA recently became aware of an anti-abortion Web site that
targets 225 physicians and characterizes them as either "working,"
"wounded" or "fatality." AMA immediately formed a 20-person crisis
team to telephone each physician listed and alert them to the
fact that their name is on the site. AMA provided these physicians
with contact telephone numbers at appropriate law enforcement
agencies and informed them of the Justice Department meeting to
assure them that everything possible would be done to ensure their
safety.
"This is not about abortion; this is about violence," Dr. Lewers
said. "Physicians and health care workers face a serious risk
of work-related violence, and the problem is getting worse. AMA
strongly condemns violence against all physicians and health care
workers involved in any aspect of the legal practice of medicine."
These activities are part of AMA's ongoing effort to work with
organized medicine to protect physicians' rights to practice high
quality medicine on behalf of their patients. AMA has also taken
action on behalf of biomedical researchers targeted by an extreme
faction of "animal rights activists" as well as those at risk
in hospitals, especially emergency departments. Safety precautions
that these physicians can take also were discussed with law enforcement
officials at the Justice Department meeting.
The AMA news release on violence against physicians is on the
AMA Web Site at: <http://www.ama-assn.org/ad-com/releases/1998/98nov02.htm>.
(Information for this article was provided by the American
Medical Association's "Link Alert" to federation specialty societies.)
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