Friday, Oct. 6, 2017 | 11:32 a.m.
Health care workers from University Medical Center, Sunrise Hospital and other medical facilities were recognized this morning for their life-saving efforts treating the victims of Sunday night’s mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip.
Hospitals around the valley were flooded with wounded after a gunman shot into the crowd at a music festival from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay, killing 58 and wounding nearly 500 people.
Today’s ceremony and blood drive was organized by of the Nevada chapter of Service Employees International Union Local 1107, which represents health care workers. Hundreds of union members attended the event.
Luisa Blue, executive vice president of the local union, said the shooting took an “emotional toll” on health care workers that they “will have to deal with for a long time.”
University Medical Center CEO Mason Van Houweling said that without the preparation and efforts of so many medical professionals, things could have turned out much worse.
“I know we drill and drill often for these things, and it could have been a lot worse if we hadn’t done that,” Houweling said. “I know a lot of you are still working off of adrenalin, and there are still lots of patients to care for. But we need to be sure we’re taking care of ourselves, too.”
Local, state and federal politicians also attended today’s ceremony to thank medical workers.
