The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology published new guidelines for medical professionals evaluating individuals with chest pain, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Illinois, New York, Texas, and the District of Columbia.

• Illinois: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) on Monday declared gun violence a statewide public health crisis—and pledged $250 million to help affected communities. According to Pritzker, a gun-violence prevention strategy, called the "Reimagine Public Safety" plan, will be funded by both state and federal funding. In addition, communities with the highest reported gun violence will receive assistance from the new Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. (Gleeson, Becker's Hospital Review, 11/1)

• New York: Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Monday announced that roughly 9,000 New York City workers who have not yet received the Covid-19 vaccine were put on unpaid leave for failing to comply with the vaccine mandate for all city workers. According to de Blasio, the city has not experienced any service disruptions from staffing shortages. Employees on unpaid leave who receive the vaccine will be allowed to return. (Garfinkel, Axios, 11/1)

• Texas/District of Columbia: The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology last week published new guidelines in Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that instruct medical professionals to use standardized risk assessments, clinical pathways, and tools while evaluating and diagnosing individuals with chest pain. This standard approach provides clinicians with the guidance to better evaluate patients with chest pain, identify patients who may be having a cardiac emergency and then select the right test or treatment for the right patient." (Gleeson, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/29)