FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box: 21161
2300 18th St NW Lbby
Washington, DC 20009-9996
November 19, 2024
Doctors for America Compels the Senate to Protect Patients
Washington, D.C.: President-Elect Donald J. Trump intends to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and several other public health agencies. Doctors for America (DFA) urges the Senate to reject his nomination due to his dangerous track record of spreading false information and the harm this would do to the nation’s health.
Now is the time to make sure the U.S. Senate knows the damaging impacts his appointment would bring. The American public deserves better from its medical and public health leaders.
“Our patients need us now more than ever and DFA stands ready to protect our patients and their care. We will fight against any policy that does not promote access, equity, and affordability for our patients”, said Christine Petrin, MD, MPH, President, Doctors for America’s Board of Directors.
RFK Jr’s combative rhetoric and false assertions regarding the safety and efficacy of life-saving preventive health care undermine years of progress in disease prevention, treatment, and public health policy. His promotion of vaccine misinformation endangers children and adults by discouraging protection against preventable illnesses, jeopardizing immunization efforts that have eradicated deadly diseases like smallpox and polio, and ultimately reversing one of the greatest achievements in U.S. public health. Likewise, his deceptive statements about HIV/AIDS put decades of public health progress at risk and repeatedly endanger the health and well-being of our patients and the public. His statements regarding the changes he plans to implement at the NIH alone would leave us unprepared as a nation to respond to future epidemics. What’s worse; he would halt progress to advance care for millions of patients living with chronic diseases.
We agree that America’s health and healthcare system are in need of reform and the public deserves to have full, unbiased information on how to protect its health. As health professionals, we know the importance of having qualified leaders with the knowledge and experience to protect our health and to secure our nation’s place as a global leader in medical innovation. The nomination of RFK Jr. leaves us deeply concerned that he would do the opposite.
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Doctors for America (DFA) mobilizes doctors and medical students to be leaders in putting patients over politics to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. DFA is an organization of over 27,000 physician and medical student advocates in all 50 states, representing all areas of specialization. DFA teaches physicians and medical trainees advocacy skills and does advocacy at a state and federal level. Our impact areas focus on access to affordable care, community health and prevention, and health justice and equity. DFA focuses solely on what is best for our patients, not on the business side of medicine. DFA does not accept any funding from pharmaceutical or medical device companies, which uniquely positions DFA as the organization that puts patients over politics and patients over profits.
Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on X @drsforamerica.