The scent hung in the air, something like that Always noted at Brooklyn Hospital. The smell of blood is more prevalent lately, a sign that the gun violence that has gripped the city has its grip on the communities around the hospital.
“It smells a little metallic. And it’s kind of delayed with you,” said Alexander, 36, adding that he can’t stop smelling blood even after going home and raining, especially on violent days. “You know it when you smell it.”
Brookdale, a one-level trauma center, East New York and Brownsville – the neighborhoods that have been the most torn by gun violence in the city – are becoming the lifeline for victims of the shooting. And after struggling to help his community with the Covid-19 outbreak, Alexander and the rest of the staff now find themselves in another crisis.
‘Broad daylight, people shot’
Brookdale suffered about 100 more shootings in June, July and August this year than in the same period last year, according to hospital data.
In June, July, July, 66 and in August 45 45 – he was the victim of 149 shootings in Brookdale during those three months. Last year there were 55 shootings – 12 in June, 25 in July and 18 in August.
And while the number of shootings has been rising at levels not seen in New York City over the years, hospital staff struggled to save the victims, a task that has become not only frequent but more problematic. It is a strong indicator that violence is not stopping.
“What we’ve seen recently in the last few months is that people are being shot at 9am, 10am, 11am. People are being killed,” Alexander said. “You’re like sometimes, ‘Wow, it’s 10 o’clock in the morning. I got up at 5 o’clock to go to work. What time did this guy get up at 10 o’clock to shoot someone? People thought you had a little safety during the day.’
That day is not the only threat to safety, says Alexander. He is seen increasingly coming up with gunshot wounds, which ultimately make it difficult to save lives.
In July, 1% of the patients who were shot were in critical condition and needed one level of trauma care, according to the hospital.
“Usually you shoot someone twice. Maybe three times. But we’ll talk about twenty, thirty times. One person,” Alexander said. “So we as physicians know that our ability to rescue that person at that time is almost non-existent. There has been a lot of damage in many places to be able to control anything.”
Summer outbreak of gun violence in New York City
Gun violence in the city has tightened its grip since the Covid-19 began to come under control. As of Aug. 27, there were 974 shootings in New York City, nearly double the previous year, which was 527. There were also 1,174 shootings last year, according to NYPD figures.
East New York and Brownsville are two neighborhoods that have drawn the city into the shooting. There have been 66 shooting incidents in Brownville this year as of the end of August, compared to 25 in the previous year. The victims of the shooting are also 77 taller, compared to the previous year’s to to. East New York had 84 victims, up from 50 last year. And 65 incidents compared to 41 last year.
And while shootings in the city have skyrocketed, gun arrests have not yet taken place at last year’s pace, even though they are backing up.
August. As of 23, 2,062 guns had been seized, up from 2,221 last year.
“Since June 1, the city has just erupted into gun violence,” said Michael Lipetri, chief of NYPD, head of crime control strategy.
“We have large groups of people committing life crimes, whether it’s the street aspect of gambling, whether it’s drunk, or, unfortunately, it turns into violence after the fact. Gang members, mainly, carry out gun-related violence,” Lippery said. , ”Lipatri said. He added that drug-related shootings are also another driver of violence.
“There are a lot of factors and we can’t focus on just one of them,” Lipatri said, adding that the number of people released from prison was close to 3,000.
‘Regular people’ become victims
Lipatri crime statistics are clear about how victims are, not about numbers. Dr .. Alexander sees people beyond statistics.
“When you say gun violence most people are thinking, oh, a TV gangster or something along those lines,” Alexander said. “No. Regular folk. Regular people, 30s, 20s, teenagers, hypocrites, people under the age of 10. These are the people we want. And its impact is profound to say the least.”
Dr. Bro. Patricia O’Neill, Brookdale’s medical director of trauma, said she recently treated three shooting victims. One was shot 10 times. Another had bullets ripped from his throat and from his face. The other serious injury was to a teenager who was shot only once and had only one bullet that ripped through his chest but somehow sat nicely between his heart, aorta and esophagus.
“He was 19 and still had brackets,” said O’Neill, the victim of the “magic bullet.”
“So I think he was very young.”
But the vicious cycle of violence stemming from a lack of cooperation and revenge should not be ignored, he said.
“People are not willing to cooperate on this particular shooting, because they want to go out and take care of it themselves,” Clark said. “An incident happens, you don’t have co-operation so there is no arrest. That means the person who did the shooting is not responsible. But what you are seeing is that the victim is now taking matters into their own hands, will get.” Their own people involved and retaliating, and then you have to be another victim. ”
‘A real deal miracle’
There are some victims Dr .. Alexander will never forget.
There was once a woman shot in the back of the head and the bullet was lodged in the center of her brain. Not only was she alive, she was also conscious.
“The arms and legs keep moving. Talking, communicating, their eyes blinking and with you. It’s a real deal miracle,” Alexander said.
Then New Year’s Eve shifted overnight in 2019, where he had to break the news to the man’s family that he could not survive the shooting. He was then told by a detective that his patient had the first cow slaughter of the new year. The one he remembers the most was shedding tears again while the family was crying.
“I told them I was sorry for their loss,” Alexander said. “Unfortunately it probably repeats routine routine and physical and people who hear this from the outside, but it’s probably some of the most sincere words we share as physicians.”
And last month a young man was shot in the abdomen, but he has a breath of fresh air on Instagram.
“You’ll see that from time to time,” Alexander said. “They want to go to Instagram Live or go to Facebook and say, ‘Hey, I got shot. I’m a gangster.’ No, you’re almost dead. And your mother would have died. ”
From Covid-19 patients to people who have been shot
And while the victims of the shooting continue to compound, Alexander tries to make sure that the Covid-19 patients were already brutally taxed after being treated, with the rest of the staff still left enough in the tank for their patients.
Just mentioning Brookdale Hospital during the height of the Covid-19 outbreak was enough to make Alexander roll his eyes and hit his head back in disbelief and exhaustion. The ICU at Brookdale was flooded with sick and scared Covid-19 patients a few months ago: indeed, East New York and Brownville were the two most affected areas of the city, according to city statistics.
The patient’s bed was lined up in the hospital’s hallway and refrigerated truck, which was built for the emergency morgue space, bursting people who could not be saved.
Alexander said he sleeps four to six hours a night and does not take a day off from February 20 to April 17.
“Even though it was emotionally traumatic and emotionally traumatic it was something very different from the public health crisis of gun violence.”
“Oh, I’m going to shoot thirty men today.” “I don’t go to work thinking, ‘” said Alexander. “I go to work thinking I’m thinking of people and helping those who need care.” I don’t know how traumatic it can be for me. Emotional, mental, physical, depending on what comes through that door. “
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