– Message from the President –
May 27, 2022
Dear Sonoran Community,
The anguished faces of parents, siblings, grandparents, spouses, friends, and neighbors, gathered in prayer circles, collapsed in each other’s arms, inscribe their pain into my very core. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the families of 19 children and two adults who left the morning of May 24th, 2022 to celebrate the last day of elementary school, never to return home.
Uvalde is a small town nestled in Texas Hill Country between San Antonio and the US-Mexican border whose residents have lived there for decades, generations. Every member of that community must be devastated by the 21 lives cut short. The act of violence leaves a gaping hole in the Uvalde community and incomprehensible grief the families must endure.
As a community of healers and healthcare leaders we devote our time, careers, and our lives to making this world a healthier place – a better place. Please take time to reflect on and act upon the many opportunities for individual acts of kindness and understanding before us every day.
The trauma unleashed in Uvalde ripples out and touches each of us, too. Making sense out of senselessness is elusive – probably illusory – please don’t hesitate to reach out to a friend, classmate, colleague, to me, or to a counsellor. Students are urged to utilize the free counseling services available through the Virtual Care group: https://thevirtualcaregroup.com/scnm and employees may reach out to SupportLinc: https://www.supportlinc.com/ (username: scnm) or 1-888-881-5462
This tragedy was the 212th mass shooting in 2022, 27 of them at schools. This is a Public Health issue that as a school of medicine and health sciences we must help address. At this week’s President’s Council we began discussing what our role should be in collaboration with other academic institutions, other organizations, and government agencies to help address the chronic disease of gun violence in our country. Like other chronic diseases the treatment unfolds over time, one day at a time. On this day, let’s each be mindful of what we say, think, and do, so we can begin the long healing road ahead.
With love,
Paul Mittman, ND, EdD
President/CEO
