Boston Marathon bombing first responder, a DO, testifies to House panel

On Wednesday, May 17, past AOA President Martin S. Levine, DO, MPH, presented to the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee in support of H.R. 1876, the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2017, at a broader public health hearing titled, “Examining Initiatives to Advance Public Health.”

Dr. Levine shared his experience as one of the first responders at the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013, and testified as to how the Good Samaritan legislation would help provide liability protection to volunteer medical professionals who serve in federally declared disaster areas, including physicians looking to offer their assistance during disasters – whether terrorist incidents like the Boston Marathon bombing, or natural disasters like Hurricanes Katrina or Sandy.

The legislation fills in gaps between various state laws and a gap in federal law left by the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997, which does not cover practitioners who volunteer on their own. Watch outtakes from the hearing and Dr. Levine’s testimony.