Vaccine Malfeasance - ERRATA (OOPS)
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ERRATA
Teammates, thanks for letting me know. The RESISTBOT code is POPDQO
To send the email to Congress today - Text SIGN POPDQO to 50409 My apologies.
Happy Friday 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. By the way lots of deep breaths help. So do cute pictures. P.S. If it’s not teddy bears it will have to be kittens and puppies to reduce the stress level.
Vaccine’s Kept Off Market by Big Pharma
I was shocked to learn that there are vaccines available that can have a major impact on world wide health and can save millions of lives but but are not readily made available.
ProPublica recently detailed their investigation into just such behavior. In it they describe how medical researchers used techniques discovered by the US Army and the VA when seeking to protect people from Malaria.
Vaccines are not new. During the revolutionary war, in the 1770’s George Washington had his soldiers vaccinated against small pox using the cowpox virus. It was discovered a century ago that certain additives, or adjuvants, could be added to the vaccine to help teach the immune system and make vaccines more effective This story is about how one drug company, Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK), owned the rights to a key vaccine adjuvant. It was key to a tuberculosis vaccine, that GSK had run through phase 2 trials and was found to be effective. 5 years passed from their phase 2 trial and they did not move to phase 3 testing to get approval to release the vaccine. TB kills about 1.6 million people yearly.
They used the adjuvant successfully in their shingles vaccine, Shingrex, and in a vaccine they developed for RSV and they will make billions of dollars in profits from those, but they did not move on the TB vaccine. In fact, in 2016 at an investor meeting, they were sure to tell share holders that they do not do good public works because they are noble, but what they learn there they use to make a fortune. Like with a shingles and RSV vaccine.
The Gates foundation managed to shame them into selling the right to use the adjuvant to move the TB vaccine forward for $10 million. The foundation took responsibility to get the vaccine ready for phase 3 trials next year. It is the only vaccine that meets a set of characteristics the WHO believes are necessary for a viable TB vaccine.
In the time between the phase 2 and phase 3 trials 9 million people will have died of TB.
Abortion Resource
SAFE, PRIVATE ABORTION INFORMATION FOR ALL STATES AVAILABLE THROUGH NEW CHATBOT
(Thanks to Rogan;s List) People in need of abortion information in all 50 states now have a new tool to help them, Charley the chatbox. Co-founded by former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and the former head of Planned Parenthood’s digital department Tom Subak, in partnership with INeedAnA.com, Plan C, and the Miscarriage + Abortion (M+A) Hotline, Charley provides accurate, accessible, and confidential abortion information to people who need it.
Users can learn about different abortion methods, where and how to access them, what is legal in their state, along with local medical, legal and community support. Available in English and Spanish, Charley can also help people in restrictive states to get travel information, obtain FDA approved pills by mail, and find low cost, or sometimes free, ways to buy the needed pills. Users need only submit their zip code and last period date, and conversations are deleted hourly. Data is never shared or tracked and using private or “incognito” browsing can add an extra layer of security when needed. Make sure you take the extra security step because your data can be subpoenaed not just theirs. No sense giving the bad guys your data.
We can learn more about chatbot Charley’s information for people in need of abortions here, then share this link with our friends on social media. If your organization is interested in hosting Charley, then email them here Charley@berlinrosen.com.
MEDICAL STRIKE
Nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers at non-profit Kaiser Permanente facilities in California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado are in the last day of their planned three day strike. One of their key demands for the nursing staff is to reduce the nurse to patient ratio to safe levels. Kaiser admits it has to hire an additional 10,000 nurses but there are wage issues and a lack of available nurses, they claim.
The nurses have a second strike planned for November if this one is unsuccessful. Note they do not strike until conditions are satisfactory. That’s because they actually care about people.
Remember there is a critical shortage of working nurses and conditions for nurses nationwide are poor. At least 1/3 plan to leave the profession and about 1/2 have been leaving within 2 years of graduating. More nursing schools can help get more nurses into the pipeline but safe staffing levels and fair wages are needed. According to National Nurses United there are a million trained nurses not working in the US. We’ve written about the patient overload, demanding physical conditions and workplace violence that nurses face in the past.
ACTION
S. 2840 the Bipartisan Primary Healthcare Workforce Act will help train another 60,000 nurses.
H.R.2530 and S.1113, The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act will help with some of the issues nurses face.
Let’s let our Member of Congress and Senators know we want them to take action. Their phone/email is in the resource section below. PS it is worth noting that safe nursing staff levels are already in HR 3421, the improved Medicare for All Act.
You can send the email below with Resistbot - Text to to 50409 SIGN POPDQO
“I am your constituent and I want you to do something about improving the working conditions for nurses nationwide. 75,000 Medical staff, mostly nurses, at Kaiser Permanente are on strike for safe nurse to patient staffing levels. Those safe levels are included in HR 3421 , the improved Medicare for All Act. If you can’t do that then I want you to support and pass H.R.2530 and S.1113, The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act. While you’re there support and pass S. 2840 the Bipartisan Primary Healthcare Workforce Act that will help train another 60,000 nurses and 2,000 doctors to alleviate stress on primary care medicine. Thank you.”
RESOURCES
Healthcare Advocacy (Us)
Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Plan
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
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