Disinformation Yokai
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Happy Friday Healthcare Advocates
I would like to encourage comments and suggestions from you if you have time. If there is a special topic you’d like to see please let me know. Please use the comment button below.
COVID Update
Yesterday we reported that the new COVID-19 variant is spreading quickly and we should all take care to protect ourselves. According to an announcement yesterday from the CDC (link) updated Covid vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax will be available to the public in mid-September. That amounts to the most specific timeline to date. Look for it and get the vaccine and stay healthy.
Disinformation
I recently had a discussion with a reader who is a physician about disinformation and trust. She reminded me that the best way to reach people is to treat them as adults capable of making good decisions. She does it in her practice very successfully by clearly presenting data (positives and negatives) so that her patients can make up their own minds.
It can be hard to implement in a public health setting when not everyone has access to a personal physician.
Anyway, the Kaiser Family Foundation has been doing “who do you trust?” studies and the results are below. There is work to do to counter disinformation. Below you can see over 90% trust their doctor, 67% tryst the CDC, and 64% trust the FDA.
Breaking down along party lines it looks like this
The reason I am presenting these data is that the report mentions that 30% of the population still thinks that Ivermectin is an appropriate treatment for COVID.
It could be because people are reluctant to go the doctor and so look things up on the internet and take in what sound like quick solutions. I’ m going to leave this data here because there must be some better way to address misinformation in public health.
Women’s Rights Under Attack in Federal Court
A federal court judge has ruled that even though Mifepristone is a safe and legal drug it can be banned in West Virginia. Here is a link to the news story. This behavior not just relegates women to second class citizens, it calls into question the FDA and their ability to regulate what is safe and effective. If a state decides to make vaccines illegal, then it seems that this kind of federal ruling gives credence to that action. This becomes an extremely dangerous precedent. This kind of “You Can’t Make Me” attitude has no place in public health since it can jeopardize the lives of so many. We need to let our legislators know they have work to do to protect us.
ACTION
It is hard to handle this across 50 individual states so let’s contact our Congressperson, Senators and the President and tell them about it. Here is a sample text.
Subject: Enact the WHPA and Support the FDA
“I am your constituent and I am appalled that a federal judge has ruled that West Virginia can ban Mifepristone. This treats women as womb slaves and invalidates the FDA’s authority. What’s next, a state chooses to make vaccinating children for measles illegal. This can create a public health nightmare.
I strongly urge you to enact the Women’s Health Protection Act NOW so women have full autonomy in every state. Next I need you to craft legislation to make sure that if the FDA says it is safe and effective, everyone in every state that needs the medication can get it. Go to it!!”
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Plan
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water Resistbot write up
Hi Claire. There are kinks to instructions in the reference section of the newsletter.
It should work like this
On you phone. Using your messaging app, enter a recipient 50409
Then in the message section. Type SIGN ABCDEF (whatever the 6 letter code was) and press enter. it may ask a few questions about zipcode to make sure it knows where you are. If this doesn't work please let me know. And thank you for reading the letter.
Hi Alan,
You give us valuable information. I would like to use the Resist Bot tool, but I am unable to figure it out. My techie friend who recommended your emails to me told me she has not figured the Resist Bot out, either.
We will keep working on the Resist Bot!
Thank you for your informative emails.
Claire Kordosky