Federal legislation follows Iowa’s lead

The Gazette Editorial Board

A year after the murder of beloved Aplington-Parkersburg football coach and community leader Ed Thomas, 1st District Rep. Bruce Braley has introduced legislation to reduce the likelihood of similar tragedies.

We support Braley's federal version of Iowa's Ed Thomas law, which will allow for better, more consistent communication between law authorities and hospitals when it comes to dealing with patients who pose a potential risk to public safety.

Braley's Ed Thomas Act clarifies patient privacy rules and lays out communication protocols to ensure police always have access to a patient's discharge date if they accompany that person to a medical facility and request notification in writing.

The act sets out protocol for the law enforcement officer's written request for the information and allows medical providers to share the discharge information from the time of admission until up to 24 hours after the person's discharge.

It comes on the heels of similar legislation passed by Iowa legislators last session. It's a much-needed clarification of existing rules, helping ensure that law enforcement receive complete, timely information about patients who could pose a threat to their communities.

We urge its speedy adoption.

The act should make it less likely that a person of interest will slip through the cracks when the person is transferred between police and health care providers - as happened in the tragic death of Thomas.

The weekend before Thomas was shot and killed by former player Mark Becker on June 24, 2009, Becker led law enforcement officials on a high-speed chase. He was arrested and was taken to a Waterloo hospital mental health unit for evaluation.

But police weren't notified of Becker's release from the hospital psychiatric facility. Not long after his release, Becker drove to Parkersburg and shot Thomas. Becker will spend the rest of his life in prison for the crime.

Thomas' family members have said if law enforcement had known of Becker's release, the coach's life may have been saved.

They pleaded with state legislators to clarify patient privacy requirements and standardize procedures to help prevent similar tragedies.

That reasoning works on a national level, too.

There should be no gray areas or miscommunication between medical providers and law enforcement officials in cases involving patients that pose potential public safety threats.

If federal Ed Thomas legislation helps prevent one tragedy, it will have been worth the effort. And yet another way to honor his legacy.