MedPage Today (5/2, Peck) reported that the American College of Physicians is “promoting its coalition of 36 medical, legal, and community organizations, all of which have now signed on to a document titled ‘Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States: A Call to Action from 8 Health Professional Organizations and the American Bar Association.” Among the groups that have signed on are the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American College of Emergency Physicians. Meanwhile, “ACP Executive Vice President Steven Weinberger, MD, said a number of other medical groups – including the American Medical Association – are considering signing on but are awaiting review and approval from their governance bodies.”

Related Links:

— “Taking Aim at Gun Violence: ACP Builds Coalition,” Peggy Peck , Medpage Today, May 1, 2015.

The AP (5/6, Yen) reports that a bipartisan group of senators is calling for an independent investigation into mismanagement by the Department of Veterans Affairs. A report by Sens. Dean Heller (R-NV) and Bob Casey (D-PA) on Wednesday concludes that VA efforts haven’t been enough to reduce backlogs, and the lawmakers plan to introduce legislation requiring the Government Accountability Office to conduct an inquiry into each of the VA’s 56 regional offices.

Related Links:

— “ARE BUNGLED VA CLAIMS SYSTEMIC? SENATORS WANT AGENCY REVIEW,” Hope Yen, Associated Press, May , 2015.

In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times (4/23), author John Bateson, who for 16 years was the executive director of a San Francisco Bay Area suicide prevention center, calls the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act “commendable,” but says “it won’t come close to ending military suicides.” According to Bateson, “That would require radical changes in the policies, procedures, attitudes and culture in two of our biggest.

Related Links:

— “Op-Ed Support our troops? Dealing with PTSD requires commitment,”John Bateson, Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2015.

HealthDay (4/23, Preidt) reports that research published April 21 in Circulation: Heart Failure suggests that “depression seems to increase the risk of hospitalization and death in black heart failure patients.” In the large study, investigators found that “even moderate depressive symptoms appeared to boost the risk of hospitalization or death for black patients.”

Related Links:

— “Depression Tied to Worse Outcomes for Black Patients With Heart Failure,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 22, 2015.

In a 2,050-word piece, Kaiser Health News (4/23, Gorman) reports, “Because they may not see depression as a brain disease or fear stigma, many Asian immigrant families don’t reach out for help until there is a crisis, experts say.” Even when families seek help, “they often find both medication and psychotherapy a poor fit.” When it comes to the treatment of depression in teenagers, “parents sometimes stand in the way…intentionally or not, because of the high standards they set.” Ranna Parekh, MD, director of the American Psychiatric Association’s division of diversity and health equity, said, “It takes a few generations before they can finally be free.”

Related Links:

— “When Depression And Cultural Expectations Collide,”Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News , April 22, 2015.