When bullets wound

Bullets do more damage than tearing through tissue; recovery takes more than surgery & stitches.

Bullet wounds go more than skin deep. LJ Punch, M.D., is a trauma surgeon and the founder of the BRIC — the Bullet-Related Injury Clinic in Saint Louis, Mo. BRIC is where shooting victims come for wound care and education, help with pain management, care for the emotional and social impact of being shot, and the acknowledgement that their bullet wound could likely have profound spiritual meaning for them, their families, and their communities.

They also find a place of warm welcome.

"Trauma is a communal injury and must be healed in community," says Dr. Punch. "The medical world is missing out because it's abstracting this one tiny part of it." He says the treatment that's needed to heal a bullet wound is not happening in hospitals.

We also talk with Pierre Underwood, who was shot early this year and is recovering from his bullet wound with the help of the staff of the BRIC.

CONTRIBUTORS

• LJ Punch M.D.
• Pierre Underwood
• Seán Collins

KEYWORDS

• gun violence
• bullet injury
• whole person care