AwithonelisonDec 22, 2022
Dan Sunderland, DO

Literally everyone has "health freedom." In medicine, we call it "patient autonomy:" the basis of our system of patient counseling and informed consent.

What they are going for is "health recklessness," ignoring well-researched, massive studies because they politically disagree with what is right and safe for the *overwhelming* majority of Americans. No one should follow their anecdotes over actual data.

These people don't belong in medical management. Get out.
https://www.npr.org/2022/12/21/1144798353/in-florida-health-freedom-activists-exert-influence-over-a-major-hospital?sc=18&f=1001

In Florida, 'health freedom' activists exert influence over a major hospital

Earlier this year, three activists who are opposed to COVID vaccines and standard treatment protocols for the illness were elected to the board of Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

NPR
Dec 22, 2022 at 4:43amWeb
Show threadDan Sunderland, DODec 22, 2022

I am truly sorry that some medical providers have done a bad job at explaining the overwhelming amount of science that goes into the #COVID19 recommendations. It is our job to do that, and it is often very difficult to do. It requires a lot of time and a trusted provider.

I am also truly sorry that bad actors who have some sort of medical credential (nurses and, even more shamefully, physicians) and should very much know better than to spread #disinformation are doing just that.

Show threadDan Sunderland, DODec 22, 2022
These studies are immensely complex, which is why it is so hard to understand them without years of medical training. And yet making that leap is my job and that of all physicians and public health professionals. We are trying to bring you the most important, evidence -based information every single day and in a way that you can understand and in which you can have confidence.
Show threadDan Sunderland, DODec 22, 2022
In some ways, we have failed. We have failed to save every patient during the pandemic. Our hearts break with yours each time this happens. Early in the pandemic, my colleagues would have to go from one of these tragedies to the next every day with no dependable means of guaranteeing a good outcome. As always, physicians did their best with the best available science, of which there was very little in the beginning.
Show threadDan Sunderland, DODec 22, 2022
We also failed to communicate effectively at all times, sometimes creating confusion. This was especially difficult when there was (and is still) active #disinformation fighting against the message we were trying to deliver. People did not know what to do at all times. Honestly, we didn't either. There were so many unknowns. By the time the science became clear and the messaging was corrected, we had lost a lot of listeners along the way.
Show threadDan Sunderland, DODec 22, 2022

This was a great tragedy and a loss for our health system as a whole. I am fully aware that it will take years to regain the trust that the health system lost. I am ready to put in the work to fix that.

But in the meantime, we have to be able to recognize the bad actors who are either using the controversy to attain power, make money, or are so wrapped up in politics that they forget that medicine is always an evolving science. We must always continue to learn.