Dr. Sharon

Citizen 🇺🇸 | Peds Hospitalist 👩‍⚕️🏥 | #Tweetiatrician 📣 | Tweets = my own opinion. (I have a lot of opinions.)

[KFF @KFF]

As the Senate debates federal cuts to Medicaid, state-level data on coverage, eligibility, and financing helps put the stakes in context.

KFF’s updated Medicaid fact sheets have the latest numbers for all 50 states: https://t.co/pPyKwTsEys

[Justin Wolfers @JustinWolfers]

1. Trump's tax cuts overwhelmingly help the rich
2. His spending cuts are targeted at the poor
3. Tariffs cost the poor a larger share of their income

Roll these three regressive policies together and you get the largest redistribution from poor to rich in American history.

[Jake Scott, MD @jakescottMD]

🎯 But here's the key question: Is having more vaccines available somehow bad?

On the contrary. As a father of 2, I'm extremely grateful for these advances since 1986:

Hib (late 1980s): Once the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in infants. Since vaccination: >99% reduction in kids under 5.
Hepatitis B (1991): Prevents liver failure and cancer. Acute infections in children dropped 94%.
Varicella/Chickenpox (1995): Cases down 97%, hospitalizations down 90%, deaths now rare.
Pneumococcal (2000): Invasive disease in young kids dropped 90%.
Rotavirus (2006): Hospitalizations reduced 80% in infants.
Hepatitis A (2006): Cases dropped 97% from the 1990s.
HPV (2006-2011): Infections with vaccine-type HPV in teen girls dropped 88%.

All of this is public health progress.

CDC modeling shows routine childhood immunization of U.S. children born 1994-2018 will prevent:

419 million illnesses
936,000 deaths
$1.9 trillion in societal costs

Yes, today's schedule includes more shots than 1986. But it also prevents far more hospitalizations, cancers, and deaths. That's a public health win by any standard.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will.

I think there's an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the vast majority of undocumented immigrants don't.

My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada. My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary. When work fell through, my dad was offered to work with his sister in the United States, so he went, as our family needed money. He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to — not knowing immigration laws — and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby.

I'm still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law. The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I've been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.

The lack of legal immigration has totally shaped my life. It has made every interaction with the law much scarier. It has shaped which opportunities I could or could not get. It has taken an emotional toll, as this legal issue hangs over your head like a black cloud.

There are millions of people in my situation — people who were brought here as children, some babies, and were unable to raise their hand during this process and say "maybe we should hire a lawyer." Parents may have crossed the border not knowing about the law, as the law can be pretty confusing and lawyers are expensive. Perhaps, in the end, they should have hired a lawyer; but sometimes life is messy. In the end, they crossed for the same reason many people rise every day: to support their families.

I think it's unreasonable to deport millions of people who have contributed positively to society. It's simply not true that the majority of these people are violent criminals carrying drugs. Many own small businesses; many work as skilled laborers (including garment workers!). The vast majority are good, honest people. For those of us who grew up in the United States, sending us "back" to our "home" country would mean sending someone to a foreign land, as they grew up in the United States. Tearing families apart based on immigration status seems inhumane.

About twenty years ago, I watched with some small measure of hope that the Dream ACT would pass and help a portion of undocumented immigrants. I saw people march angrily in the streets (something I supported). But I was dismayed to see nothing really come about. In fact, when Obama passed DACA, I was skeptical that it would be sensible to give your information to the federal government without a guaranteed path to citizenship. It seems that the Trump administration may use those lists to hunt down immigrants.

I think the ICE sweeps are inhumane. I support and admire the protestors who are putting their bodies on the line for non-violent resistance. Ultimately, I think we need to solve this issue on a systemic level. It's unreasonable to me to expect that the government will deport some 10-20 million people. Even deporting 1 million will cause an insane amount of chaos, not to mention an incredible amount of wasteful government spending. The militarization of law enforcement is over the top and only escalate the situation.

I have seen people march on this issue, only for it to be dropped later and dissolve into quiet grumbles. In the end, nothing is done for immigrants. Time passes until decades later, we have another political crisis like the one we have today. This cycle seems unsustainable. I hope people sustain this energy to solve the immigration issue and put undocumented immigrants — most who are peaceful, skilled, and hard-working citizens — on a path to citizenship. As time continues to go by, many undocumented immigrants are seeing their lives wasted away.

If you care about this issue, I hope you get involved on the long haul: volunteer for pro-immigrant groups, donate to mutual aid, and perhaps pursue career paths that help people in this situation. I was moved to read someone on here say that, when they found their employee was undocumented, they helped them get a green card. The path was difficult, as our immigration system is broken (it took them 11 years). But I can tell you that this is like pulling someone drowning in raging waters.

Ultimately, I hope me sharing this story helps push back against the idea that all undocumented immigrants are MS-13 members. I know many people in my position and they are all like your neighbors.

[Wendy Hasson MD @WendyHassonMD]

Why should you care about #Medicaid even if YOU don’t use Medicaid? B/c cutting it will result in closure of #pediatric services for ALL kids. Imagine a bakery that sells 🥧 . If 50% of patrons can’t pay for 🥧 , then you can’t stay in business to bake for patrons that CAN pay.

[KFF @KFF]

“One estimate from CA is that rural consumers will see premiums increase by 96% if the enhanced tax credits disappear (compared with 62% in urban areas).”

KFF’s @DrewAltman explains why it could matter to Republicans politically if the ACA enhanced tax credits are not extended.

[Matthew Segal @segalmr]

To say "let's eliminate due process for the bad guys" is to fundamentally misunderstand what due process is.

[Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @PeterHotez]

Back in the day, we would call that vaccines and immunizations

[Rick Perlstein @rickperlstein]

Do not look away.

[Neil Stone @DrNeilStone]

I don't research vaccines
I don't make vaccines
I don't sell vaccines

I deal with the fallout when people get the horrific diseases they could have prevented.

THAT'S why I'm pro vaccine

[KFF @KFF]

The recently passed House budget resolution targets up to $880 billion in Medicaid spending reductions to help pay to extend tax cuts.

Major cuts to Medicaid could affect coverage for 12.2 million Medicare beneficiaries who are also enrolled in Medicaid: https://t.co/YLlhXJARVx

[KIND @supportKIND]

Our statement: https://t.co/81eQBloPEi

[Dr. Sharon @sharonmsn]

@WendyHassonMD Peds hospitalist. We see how much suffering these vaccine-preventable illnesses cause, and we don’t wish it upon any child. We want less kids hospitalized. #vaccineswork #vaccinessavelives

[Wendy Hasson MD @WendyHassonMD]

Let’s set the record straight for people crying that I’m “a pharma shill”.

Let’s set the record straight for those who want me “canceled”.

You ask to follow the money, so let’s do just that!

I do not order vaccines in my medical specialty because I am a #PedsICU doctor and we leave that to the primary care #Pediatricians outside the hospital. I ONLY care for kids who are so critically ill they need to be admitted to a specialty children’s hospital, often for a ventilator or life support.

And you know who makes up a large portion of my patients? Kids with vaccine preventable illnesses. So let’s “follow the money” then…

Less vaccinated kids = more patients.

More vaccinated kids=less patients.

Vaccinated kids ONLY HURT my “bottom line.”

And yet, my #PedsICU colleagues and I are out here every day advocating for immunizations because we see how vaccine preventable illnesses like flu, RSV, measles, and pertussis HURT children. Why do we do this? Because our bottom line isn’t money.

Our #1 PRIORITY is keeping kids OUT of hospitals.

My dream ICU would be EMPTY because society has done such a great job of protecting kids. Not just with vaccines, but with injury prevention, mental health services, and increasing social safety net programs.

You want me to be canceled? Gosh, I do too, but I want it to be because we’re doing such a good job protecting kids that nobody needs me in the ICU anymore.

And in the meantime, you can hate me all you want. But I’ll still be there for you whether it’s 3am, or Thanksgiving morning, or the middle of a snow storm. Because that’s what we do in the #PedsICU.

[World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific @WHOWPRO]

Measles is highly contagious and can be fatal. Although anyone can be infected, complications and severe illnesses are most common in children under 5 years of age, with unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children at highest risk.

#Measles outbreaks are preventable if the community is protected with vaccines.

Ensure your child's vaccines are up to date - this means receiving at least two doses of a measles vaccine. #VaccinesWork

[LA Public Health @lapublichealth]

Sở Y Tế Công Cộng đã xác nhận một ca bệnh sởi là người không cư trú tại Quận Los Angeles, đã tới Phi trường quốc tế Los Angeles trên chuyến bay KAL11/KE11 của Korean Air vào ngày 19 tháng 2.

[Decoding Fox News @DecodingFoxNews]

This is how contagious measles is. Someone can walk into a room cough or sneeze then walk out of the room. An unvaccinated person can walk into the same empty room two hours later and get infected. It's one of the most contagious diseases in the world.

[CDC Flu @CDCFlu]

CDC has #flu resources you can use to encourage people to get vaccinated. Check out the Wild to Mild campaign resources you can share with friends and family. Find out more: https://t.co/iDtwWjMh6j

[CDC Flu @CDCFlu]

HCPs: Thousands of children are hospitalized with #flu each year, as flu symptoms can get wild. A flu vaccine can tame flu if your patients get sick. Talk to parents about flu vaccines and help take flu from wild to mild. Resources: https://t.co/mlK1LLiI9o #FightFlu

[CDC Flu @CDCFlu]

It’s National Influenza Vaccination Week, #NIVW! A great time for pregnant people to focus on protection from #flu: 

• Talk to a doctor about a flu shot​ 
• Get your flu shot if you haven’t yet 
​• Avoid people who are sick​ 
• Cover coughs ​ 
• Visit https://t.co/YGp51eu5ZF to #FightFlu