{"id":67068,"date":"2022-11-27T11:37:03","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T18:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=67068"},"modified":"2025-07-24T13:31:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T19:31:26","slug":"hospital-response-after-colorado-mass-shooting-club-q","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/hospital-response-after-colorado-mass-shooting-club-q\/","title":{"rendered":"Heroes among us: How medical pros at a Colorado hospital saved lives after mass shooting at Club Q"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Dr.
Dr. Katy Picard is an emergency medicine specialist. She was one of two on duty at UCHealth’s Level I Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital Central when the Club Q shooting happened on Nov. 20, 2022. She and fellow hospital workers saved multiple survivors. Photo by Mark Reis, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon and Erin Emery<\/strong><\/p>\n

The calls crackled over the police officer\u2019s radio in the hospital ER: \u201cClub Q \u2026 Active shooter \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a little after midnight. Saturday night had been unusually quiet in the ER. But the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, were about to test medical pros who train to handle the worst possible emergencies.<\/p>\n

Patients in dire need of their help were minutes away.<\/p>\n

The police officer had been in the emergency department at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central<\/a> in Colorado Springs, assisting with a suspected drunk driver when he heard the call about a horrific mass shooting. He immediately gave a heads-up to the charge nurse.<\/p>\n

She jumped into action, notifying her team throughout the emergency department (or ED as medical folks call it) along with other key people throughout the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the police officers just told us that there was a shooting, and we\u2019re expecting anywhere from 15 to 20 people. We\u2019re hoping it\u2019s wrong, but if not, it\u2019s all hands on deck,\u201d the charge nurse told Kayla Ireland, who was working that night as Memorial Hospital\u2019s nursing house supervisor.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK. I\u2019m headed down there,\u201d said Ireland, who had been working upstairs in the hospital.<\/p>\n

Until news of the shooting hit, the emergency staff and providers mostly had been helping people who were sick with the flu, RSV and COVID-19. But Memorial is a Level I Trauma Center, the highest level possible. That means that highly trained teams must be ready 24\/7 for emergencies of all sorts \u2014\u00a0including a mass shooting.<\/p>\n

The hospital is just 12 minutes and a little over five miles away from Club Q, which has always been a refuge for LGBTQ people. Now club goers who had been enjoying a fun Saturday night were fighting for their lives.<\/p>\n

\"UCHealth
A team of caregivers at Memorial Hospital Central is photographed in one of the rooms where victims of the mass shooting at Club Q were treated. Photo by Mark Reis, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t let me die\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

About 10 minutes after the ED crew first heard about the mass shooting, live updates started arriving from paramedics and EMTs aboard American Medical Response ambulances. They confirmed everyone\u2019s worst fears.<\/p>\n

\u201cGSW. Two minutes out,\u201d an emergency responder said over a radio while en route to the hospital.<\/p>\n

GSW stands for \u201cgunshot wound.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same call kept repeating again and again. More patients were coming one after another after another. Each time, the description was the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cGSW. Multiple GSWs. Back, thigh, shoulder, arm,\u201d the voice on the radio said.<\/p>\n

Staccato status reports kept pinging over the radio: \u201cTwo minutes out. Five minutes out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside the hospital, the team raced to get ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just started emptying out rooms and moving people,\u201d said Ireland, the nursing house supervisor. \u201cWe were trying to get rooms clean and get ready for that huge influx of patients.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

As the patients arrived, the charge nurse told emergency responders where to take each person.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got them all in back-to-back,\u201d Ireland said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of moaning and screaming and people saying, \u2018Help me. Help me,\u2019\u201d Ireland recalled. \u201cOne person was screaming, \u2018Don\u2019t let me die.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

A few minutes earlier, Dupey had used an app called Pulsara to instantly send a message both internally and externally to emergency medicine experts, trauma doctors, surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, radiologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, EMS workers and CT technicians.<\/p>\n

All had rehearsed their roles. Every month, they hold drills to practice responding to trauma. This time, they were dealing with the real thing.<\/p>\n

Camaraderie at night<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dr. Katy Picard is an emergency medicine specialist. She was one of two on duty at the ED that night. Dr. Leslie Moats was working with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just showed up for a regular shift,\u201d said Picard, 36.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Katy Picard joined Dr. Leslie Moats and a charge nurse in leading the response in the emergency department. Photo by Mark Reis for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At first, it was completely regular.<\/p>\n

Picard loves working nights because the teams grow so close.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have this camaraderie at night that\u2019s incredibly special. You\u2019re up and taking care of people when everyone else is asleep,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were actually having a really nice night. It was steady, but not too bad,\u201d said Picard, who has worked at Memorial since 2018.<\/p>\n

Then, soon after midnight, a nurse told Picard the news. Sometimes, there are false alarms, but this alert felt different.<\/p>\n

Picard immediately focused on how she could get ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a couple of sick people who I\u2019d been taking care of. I made sure everything was ordered for them,\u201d Picard said.<\/p>\n

Then she stepped into the other part of the ED where the team was preparing for an influx of people who would need every ounce of the team\u2019s expertise and focus.<\/p>\n

Picard put on a pale blue gown and dark blue gloves. She took a breath and braced herself. Everyone stood at the ready. It was the last moment of stillness they would experience for several hours.<\/p>\n

Minutes later, at 12:21 a.m., the first patient from Club Q arrived.<\/p>\n

Over the next 29 minutes, paramedics brought in nine more people. The 11th<\/sup>\u00a0patient arrived at 1:15 a.m. A 12th<\/sup> later was transferred from Memorial\u2019s sister hospital, UCHealth Memorial Hospital North.<\/p>\n

As the patients came to Memorial, a team of three dozen people worked furiously with a singular goal: to save as many lives as possible.<\/p>\n

Picard didn\u2019t know much about the shooting at first or what may have fueled the hatred.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy heart sank when I heard it had been at Club Q,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Picard happened to be wearing a colorful pin on the lanyard that holds her ID badge. She had spotted a nurse wearing one about a month ago, admired it and found her own on Etsy. The pin has a colorful rainbow with the comforting words: \u201cYou are safe with me.\u201d Picard, herself, is straight, but over the years, she has cared for many LGBTQ patients.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Katy Picard was wearing this button the night of the shooting. It was the first time she had ever worn it. Photo by Mark Reis for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a community that already has experienced so many hate crimes and so much loss,\u201d Picard said. \u201cFor some people, just going out and being who you are is dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

That appeared to be the case on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

While bullets had ripped people apart, the team at Memorial raced to fill them with love \u2014 and life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got you,\u201d Picard kept telling each person.<\/p>\n

Years earlier, one of Picard\u2019s fellow ED doctors once had told a patient, \u201cYou\u2019re going to live.\u201d He was devastated when the patient later died. Since then, Picard doesn\u2019t make promises. But in her heart, she\u2019s pleading with the universe for each person: \u201cPlease live.\u201d<\/p>\n

A,B,Cs: Airway, breathing, circulation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The immediate goal was to assess and stabilize people.<\/p>\n

Picard has no idea how coworkers carved out space for so many critically ill people at once. She attributed that to \u201ccharge nurse magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nickie Klein, a clinical nurse manager in the ED, said: \u201cWe want to get them to the operating room or to the medical floor as fast as possible. If they\u2019re not stable enough to get to the OR, we keep them until they\u2019re stable enough to go. Sometimes, it takes 5 minutes. Sometimes it\u2019s an hour or more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team had an early win soon after the shooting victims arrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got two to the OR quickly, emergently,\u2019\u2019 Klein said. \u201cThese were big traumas.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Nicki
Nickie Klein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To stay calm amid the chaos, Picard leaned into her training and experience. She was raised in Kansas, then attended medical school and did her emergency medicine residency in Michigan.<\/p>\n

Mentors years ago taught her an alphabetical mnemonic device that she uses to assess and treat patients. \u201cA\u201d stands for airway, \u201cB\u201d for breathing, \u201cC\u201d for circulation, and so on.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a plan. It\u2019s what you do. You don\u2019t move on to the next step until you\u2019ve addressed any major issues,\u201d she said. \u201cIf a patient can\u2019t breathe, you put in a breathing tube. If someone has a bleeding arm or leg, and they need a tourniquet, you get that taken care of, then you move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The system is known as the Advanced Trauma Life Support method. The \u201cABCDE\u201d part of it is called a primary survey.<\/p>\n

Picard and all of the ED providers worked seamlessly while every additional team member assisted them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne might be hanging fluids or starting blood. They might be putting on a tourniquet or applying \u2018quick clot\u2019 (to reduce bleeding). Nurses were grabbing drugs and supplies for us and starting lines. If we said we needed something, it was in our hands,\u201d Picard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone was there: respiratory therapists, X-Ray, CT, trauma nurses. That\u2019s what happens. We do our best to stabilize patients, then we decide where patients are going,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

‘Controlled chaos: Everyone came together’<\/h2>\n
\"Kayla
Kayla Ireland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ED was humming. The blood bank was bringing units. Each team member was functioning beautifully, just like they had practiced.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the most controlled chaos that I have ever seen,\u201d said Ireland. \u201cEveryone came together from all the different departments; it was fantastic.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

One employee dislocated her shoulder during the response yet waited until the end of her shift before seeking medical care.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not sure how it happened, whether it was during CPR or what, but she dislocated her shoulder and refused to be seen until everything calmed down and everyone was cared for. She popped it back in and continued working,\u201d said Ireland. \u201cIt\u2019s people putting other people first. We have our mission and our vision and our values.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then you see it in action.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could never be more proud than working with this team,\u201d Ireland said.<\/p>\n

She, herself, has experience as a critical care nurse. So, she jumped in where needed.<\/p>\n

At one point, a doctor asked, \u201cHey, can you hang blood?\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course.<\/p>\n

Ireland moved to a trauma room and started a massive blood transfusion.<\/p>\n

The team uses what\u2019s known as a Belmont machine to quickly pump patients full of blood.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can put a whole bag of blood in someone in less than a minute,\u201d Ireland said.<\/p>\n

After assisting in the trauma unit, Ireland thought to herself, \u201cWhat needs to be done now?\u201d<\/p>\n

She remembered that she had to plan for the worst possible outcomes. What if patients didn\u2019t make it? She notified the coroner and the Donor Alliance.<\/p>\n

Then, she and many others tried to help figure out who was who.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, we registered all of the patients as a \u2018Doe\u2019 just to get them in and get them care as soon as possible,\u201d Ireland said. \u201cThe ones who were up and talking, we got their identification.\u201d<\/p>\n

For four or five of the most critically wounded patients, \u201cwe didn\u2019t know their names at first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, Ireland started fielding calls from dispatchers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, this brother is looking for (this person). Here are the identifying tattoos.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team worked to identify everyone and connect patients with loved ones.<\/p>\n

\"Zach
Zach Hamilton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While most of the ED staffers tended to shooting victims, Zach Hamilton cared for others who arrived needing help. He\u2019s been an EMT for five years. Amid the chaos, one person came in with a broken knee, and Hamilton helped her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish that I had been able to do more for the people in the back, but obviously, someone had to watch for the other people coming in. I did all I could during that time. I was hoping I helped her. It was a rough night.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

‘I\u2019ll be there’<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dr. Paul Reckard<\/a> is a seasoned surgeon and the former trauma medical director who helped Memorial become certified as a Level 1 Trauma Center in 2018.<\/p>\n

During the day on Saturday, Reckard had been on duty in the ICU. Doctors in hospitals go \u201con service\u201d when they\u2019re working. The word sounds so simple but conveys so much. Hospital workers serve patients, colleagues, community members, everyone.<\/p>\n

Reckard, who turns 65 this month, had just gone to sleep at about 10 p.m. He figures he got about three hours of sleep before his phone started ringing at 1:15 a.m. Reckard wasn\u2019t on call that night, but the team was trying to reach every trauma surgeon who was in town. Reckard recognized the name of one of his partners on the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh oh. Something\u2019s going on,\u201d Reckard thought to himself as he answered the call.<\/p>\n

His colleague only needed to say two words: \u201cMass casualty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be there,\u201d Reckard responded.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t ask any questions about what had happened. He knew neither of them had time to talk.<\/p>\n

Instead, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, raced to get dressed, jumped into his car and sped across town to the hospital.<\/p>\n

He walked in, changed into scrubs and put on one of his favorite scrub caps. It shows a coral reef full of colorful tropical fish. When Reckard\u2019s not working to save lives, he loves scuba diving. When he is saving lives, he likes to wear unique scrub caps.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of us are wearing them these days. It brings some individuality to what is, otherwise, a room full of people in green scrubs,\u201d Reckard said.<\/p>\n

Multiple trauma surgeons were on duty that night, including Dr. Sarah Kolnik<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do you need help?\u201d Reckard asked.<\/p>\n

His partners directed him to one of the operating rooms.<\/p>\n

Reckard went straight to work assisting with a patient who had no pulse in the left arm.<\/p>\n

Reckard theorized that the patient had suffered a spasm in the artery that transports blood to the arm. When he exposed the artery, the patient\u2019s blood began flowing again. Mission accomplished. After the team stabilized each patient, they sent them to recover and took care of the next.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Paul Reckard pauses in a hallway at UCHealth Memorial Central. Photo by UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe were running two ORs at that point,\u201d Reckard said.<\/p>\n

Once he was in surgery, a calmness descended.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get down to business, and you get people taken care of,\u201d Reckard said.<\/p>\n

As Reckard and others worked, police officers and an FBI agent stood at the ready to gather evidence and preserve the chain of custody. In all, as many as two dozen police officers and an assistant police chief were in the hospital.<\/p>\n

Everyone credited Army veteran Richard Fierro for saving countless lives. When the gunman started firing at people at Club Q, Fierro ran over and tackled him. He hit the shooter with one of his guns and called a person wearing high heels over to attack the gunman with high heels. Together, they held the shooter down until police arrived.<\/p>\n

They saved countless lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would have been Pulse Nightclub all over again. We would have had 50 or 60 victims, and at least 20 would have died,\u201d Reckard said of the June 2016 attack on an LGBTQ club in Orlando, Florida, that left 49 dead and 53 others wounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose folks deserve a medal,\u201d he said of the Club Q survivors, Fierro, and others who were able to interrupt the attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were fortunate this time,\u201d Reckard said. \u201cOver the course of six to eight hours, we got everybody taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking stock the next day: ‘We kept people alive’\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As the sun rose Sunday morning, exhausted hospital workers began to take stock.<\/p>\n

And a remarkable realization dawned on them. All but one of the 12 patients who had arrived from Club Q were alive and recovering. The first patient transported to Memorial Hospital had passed away en route. Doctors tried to resuscitate that patient but were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

In all, five people from the shooting died. They are: Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump and Raymond Green Vance.<\/p>\n

While sorrow and loss have descended on Colorado Springs, so, too, have glimmers of pride and hope. Thanks to heroes at Club Q, countless first responders and dozens of medical experts, many shooting victims survived.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s work and quiet prayers had worked.<\/p>\n

Picard left the hospital at about 8 a.m. on Sunday. The night of the shooting had been her first on duty during a nine-night stretch over the Thanksgiving holidays. She had to rest. Colleagues offered to take subsequent shifts for her, but she wanted to work, to be back with her team.<\/p>\n

When Picard arrived home, she hugged her husband and dissolved into tears. A mix of emotions hit her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kept people alive,\u201d she told him. \u201cWe kept people alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was enraged about the tragedy but immensely proud, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was horrible and traumatic and terrible,\u201d Picard said. \u201cAnd I was so proud and amazed by the team. What we collectively did was just so incredible. I felt honored to be a part of this amazing team, this amazing place. I felt proud and wanted to go back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

But first, she had to sleep.<\/p>\n

Picard allowed herself a two-minute cry, then showered and headed to bed.<\/p>\n

She worked again on Sunday night, and thankfully, it was calm.<\/p>\n

On Monday, she went to visit her Club Q patients.<\/p>\n

Some were able to speak to her. She told them that her heart was with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredible. They\u2019re all alive,\u201d Picard said, still in awe a couple of days later.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany wouldn\u2019t have lived without the collective efforts of so many people, from surgeons to anesthesiologists to blood bank staff to nurses to all of these people who make a difference when you\u2019re taking care of trauma victims,\u201d Picard said.<\/p>\n

Reckard also went to visit patients.<\/p>\n

Some were talking. Others made him laugh. Their positive attitudes and ebullient spirits comforted everyone in the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that amazes me is the courage of our patients. In the face of this adversity \u2014 they were almost killed through no fault of their own \u2014 they were keeping us going,\u201d Reckard said.<\/p>\n

A gem: \u2018Prince Royal 47\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of those courageous survivors, Ed Sanders, 63, had been gussied up in a red velvet jacket to attend a ball on Saturday night. He decided to stop by Club Q before heading home and was shot minutes later. (Read Ed Sanders\u2019 full story<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

As he recovered at Memorial, Sanders smiled and reassured his caregivers that he was going to be OK.<\/p>\n

Among them was nurse Heather Hageman. She arrived at the hospital at 6:45 a.m., ready for a 12-hour shift. She hadn\u2019t heard about the horrific shooting until the morning huddle when the night crew handed off care to the day team.<\/p>\n

\"Heather
Heather Hageman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hageman, who graduated from nursing school a year ago, was assigned to take care of Sanders. He was recovering from gunshot wounds to his upper back and leg but wasn\u2019t complaining in the least.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning,\u201d Sanders said to Hageman.<\/p>\n

She loved his positive attitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a gem,\u2019\u2019 Hageman said. \u201cHe brightened my day.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

A little while later, Sanders went to surgery to have his wounds treated. While bullets had missed his major organs, one left a wound like \u201can ice cream scoop\u201d in his upper back.<\/p>\n

When Sanders first arrived on the medical floor, his hospital wristband showed him as a \u201cDoe\u201d since ED staffers didn\u2019t know who he was.<\/p>\n

Hageman worked on getting him a new wristband with his real name.<\/p>\n

Sanders, who has been a resident of Colorado Springs for 31 years, has been going to Club Q for many years. He\u2019s active in the LGBTQ community and recently earned the title of \u201cPrince Royal 47\u2019\u2019 from the United Court of the Pikes Peak Empire, a nonprofit organization that raises money for charities.<\/p>\n

As Hageman checked on Sanders frequently, she got to know him better. He filled her in on his role in the community and the recent royal moniker he had earned.<\/p>\n

The next day, Hageman decided to make Sanders yet another wristband. She got on her computer and printed out his new title: \u201cPrince Royal 47.\u2019\u2019 She even added a little crown emoji.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis face lit up,\u2019\u2019 Hageman said.<\/p>\n

‘Let\u2019s not feed anger’<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Rev. Dr. Christopher Keith, chaplain supervisor at UCHealth Memorial Hospital, arrived at the hospital at about 5:30 a.m. on Sunday. He called three other chaplains, who also came to help.<\/p>\n

Keith and fellow chaplains tend to patients, families and staff members. They divided up duties in the wake of the shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of us was keeping track of the trauma patients and identifying names and numbers. One of us was working the telephone, writing down all the names and phone numbers of those who called,\u201d Keith said.<\/p>\n

The chaplains received dozens of calls from people inquiring about patients or offering to help. Because of confidentiality laws, Keith\u2019s team could not provide any specifics about patients. But he could take down information and relay it to the right person.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Rev. Christopher Keith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the callers asked this: \u201cCan you tell me how they\u2019re doing?\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

One caller said he hated the man who shot up the bar but felt sorry for him and his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you hear the amount of grace that people extend, it\u2019s very moving. It\u2019s very emotional,\u201d Keith said.<\/p>\n

At about 2 p.m., Keith left the hospital to take a break and change clothes. His wife was picking him up near Boulder Park, adjacent to the hospital. There, a group of 14 or 15 well-wishers had gathered.<\/p>\n

The crowd swarmed Keith after seeing his UCHealth badge. They wanted to know the same information that the callers had been seeking.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is everyone doing?\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Keith could not provide any information, but he comforted them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you are here and that you care,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a chaplain, I would invite you to send the best spirits and the best prayers. Whatever you do, do it for a good thing. Let\u2019s not feed anger; let\u2019s not feed hatred.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Keith saw that one man was trembling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a hugger, but I said, \u2018Do you need a hug?\u2019 He just glommed onto me,\u2019\u2019 Keith said.<\/p>\n

\"A
A card received by UCHealth on Sunday afternoon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before he knew it, Keith was in the middle of a giant group hug. Everyone in the group gathered around him and embraced him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m standing in the middle, and I am just bawling, and they\u2019re all bawling,\u2019\u2019 Keith said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I said, \u2018Thank you guys for caring.\u2019 Please, take your energy and do something positive.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Before he got in the car with his wife, a man pressed a crumpled card that he had created for those who were hospitalized and those working in the ICU.<\/p>\n

The card had a small, red heart and said, \u201cThere is no good card for this. I\u2019m so sorry.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The well-wisher had written a simple note: \u201cSometimes life really sucks. You don\u2019t know me, and I don\u2019t know you. I am devastated about this event. \u2026 \u2018\u2019<\/p>\n

It was signed: \u201cSincerely, a CS queer resident.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Army hero, police, fire, EMS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Reckard, the trauma surgeon, has been through mass casualty events before. But the Club Q shooting was by far the worst.<\/p>\n

He encourages everyone who was impacted by the shooting to get help.<\/p>\n

UCHealth managers jumped into action quickly.<\/p>\n

Edina Hanes, a director of Human Resources for UCHealth\u2019s southern Colorado region, worked with chaplains and ED leadership Sunday to identify all those who had worked on the event. That day, they called every employee to make sure they were OK. In the next two days, virtual support sessions were held for staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe offered a safe and confidential place to share, with a focus on resiliency,\u201d Hanes said.<\/p>\n

Reckard has always handled stress by celebrating successes at work and enjoying travel and other hobbies during his time off.<\/p>\n

For Thanksgiving, he and his wife took a road trip to Sacramento to spend the holiday with their daughter and her family. Reckard and his wife are proud grandparents of seven grandchildren.<\/p>\n

As Reckard reflected on the Club Q tragedy, he praised his co-workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing I love about Memorial is when stuff is hitting the fan like it was on Sunday morning, everyone pulls together and gets the work done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Like nearly every person who helped that night, Reckard said he was just doing his job.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real heroes are the guy who took down that shooter and the police and the EMS workers. They were all on the front lines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As for the shooter, Reckard is trying to think about the kind of pain that causes people to act out violently. While he\u2019s infuriated that anyone would apparently target LGBTQ people, he thinks many folks are suffering and could use a dose of kindness.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of these problems are incredibly complex, and the solutions are going to be even more so,\u201d Reckard said. \u201cSomebody out there needs a hug. Give someone a hug.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon and Erin Emery The calls crackled over the police officer\u2019s radio in the hospital ER: \u201cClub Q \u2026 Active shooter \u2026\u201d It was a little after midnight. Saturday night had been unusually quiet in the ER. But the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, were about to test medical pros […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":67079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow a hospital saved lives after Club Q mass shooting - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The hospital response to the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs was remarkable. 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