KCTV 5: Heroes of Children's Mercy, Recovering after deadly mass shooting
By Janae Hancock
Thousands of Kansas Citians are still recovering mentally and physically following the deadly shooting at Union Station Valentine’s Day. Among those struggling are workers on the front lines.
Children's Mercy took in 12 patients including nine children with gunshot wounds. Though all the victims at Children’s have been discharged and are expected to make a full recovery, the trauma remains.
“It really has taken a toll considering we are just blocks away from the site,” said Dr. Stephanie Burrus, the Chief Wellbeing Officer at Children’s Mercy.
Burrus is responsible for being there for employees when they grieve. But she did not expect the Chiefs Super Bowl rally to end with such heartache.
“Everyone started the day in just a wonderful mood, excited to celebrate right alongside our Super Bowl champions,” Dr. Burrus said. “To end the day in violence is not anything we ever anticipated.”
But still, first responders and healthcare workers were there to help those in need.
“Our emergency management system kicked in and they did such a wonderful job allocating resources to take care of the children we knew were coming.”