Variety, June 6, 2025: Julian Lennon is making his mark in children’s entertainment, unveiling “Love the Earth,” a new animated series, at SXSW London. … The series is produced by Compassionate Studios in the U.K., with executive producers including Lennon, Davis, Lyndon Haviland, Rebecca Warfield and Forest Trends.

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

June 1, 2025

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

Pantries like the Daily Table across the country are struggling to stay open after the U.S. Department of Agriculture quietly cut $1 billion in 2025 funding back in March for food relief programs that have historically supported the nation’s most disadvantaged communities. … Administration officials and members of Congress alike should heed the warnings from those on the front lines who run food banks and have seen firsthand the impacts the USDA cuts have had on their ability to address food insecurity in their communities.  

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

April 30, 2025

TheHill.com

Earlier this month, a high school student in Joliet, Ill. tested positive for a highly contagious disease that has claimed more lives than any other throughout human history.  

Many mistakenly believe this pathogen was eradicated decades ago. It not only still exists but is thriving, especially in some of the poorest countries around the world. The ability to monitor this disease, save lives and protect the health of Americans grows weaker by the day as the U.S. deprioritizes international funding to combat it. 

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

January 30, 2025

TheHill.com

Telemedicine has increased patient access to quality care and helped millions receive efficient, cost-effective medical support, especially for elderly and rural populations. But its widened coverage under Medicare is now in jeopardy. Congress must act to preserve this critical lifeline. …

Telehealth benefits everyone. Advancements in software, high-speed internet and remote connectivity technology have made it easier for physicians to reach patients and provide important medical attention. It saves money and opens access to quality care for all.  

The federal government has a role to play in making sure patients continue to benefit from virtual medicine. There’s no better model of efficiency — the very platform of the Trump administration — than telehealth, which has proven to be a cost-effective solution.  

Expanded coverage for telehealth has transformed the way patients across America receive medical support. If it goes away, millions of Americans stand to lose. Congress can put an end to any doubt in the minds of an anxious nation by making it permanent.  

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

January 2, 2025

TheHill.com

Important public health measures designed to protect unaccompanied minors held in U.S. custody at the southern border are set to expire nine days after President-elect Trump takes the oath of office.  

With mass deportations expected on the horizon and the fate of children in limbo, America must show compassion and extend these initiatives to ensure their safety while being detained by U.S. law enforcement. …

A legal settlement with the U.S. government in 2022 created a series of baseline requirements to help ensure the health and safety of children detained at the southern border. It was reached after three children from Guatemala died while under Customs and Border Protection control.  

Unless the courts act to extend these provisions, detained children could be at risk of similar atrocities happening in the future.  

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

November 22, 2024

TheHill.com

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has thrust the debate over vaccine efficacy into the national spotlight. 

The facts about vaccine safety have never been more important, and they must prevail over misguided theories from immunization skeptics, who may soon have a champion at the wheel of our nation’s largest U.S. health agency. …

The voice of the scientific community — and the demand for medical and public health experts to step forward, convey the facts and advocate strongly for the efficacy and safety of vaccines — has never been greater than at this moment.  

The health and safety of every American is at stake. It’s time to communicate real information about vaccines, not disinformation, to ensure that access and availability remain for all. 

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

November 2, 2024

TheHill.com

The U.S. presidential election is days away, and the polls show the candidates are in a statistical dead heat. The outcome is unknown — even to the experts, who say it could be the tightest race “in a generation.” For public health, the election matters deeply.

Whoever wins, the next president will confront serious public health issues affecting millions of Americans. And unless he or she can rebuild trust and regain public confidence in our nation’s health system, president 47 will face significant challenges addressing them. …

We need someone willing to put his or her trust in our nation’s public health experts; someone who values the knowledge and experience of the health community; someone able to accept science-based guidance and recommendations to lead our nation’s health forward.   

Because trust can only be earned if trust is given. It’s part of the bedrock of every healthy relationship. And if our next president has the fortitude to trust America’s health agencies, it will encourage Americans to respect them again, too. 

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

October 2, 2024

TheHill.com

California’s new law directing school districts to limit student cell phone use during teaching hours may sound controversial, but it is a big win for child and adolescent public health — and a potentially important step in helping America’s students improve their mental well-being. …

There’s evidence these restrictions can lead to positive student outcomes.

Norway limited cell phone use in hundreds of middle schools years ago, and it reduced bullying (for both boys and girls) by over 40 percent. Student visits to psychology specialists dropped an astonishing 60 percent while overall grade point averages increased. …

[And] schools that have already implemented phone restrictions in the U.S. have seen encouraging academic and behavioral results in a short period of time. …

Limiting cell phones at K-12 schools across the country can strengthen teen health, advance student learning and build better school communities. America could use a healthy dose of all of the above. 

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

August 31, 2024

TheHill.com

All across the nation, children are heading back to school and millions will soon be drinking lead-contaminated water — a health hazard that is impossible to detect with the naked eye and extremely difficult to avoid. …

The U.S. government has known about this problem for decades and done little about it. Lead water contamination in schools is putting our children’s health and cognitive development in jeopardy. … Every child has the right to attend a school where the water isn’t contaminated with lead. U.S. public health agencies have a responsibility to protect them from being poisoned. …

In October, the U.S. EPA is expected to announce a new rule requiring utilities to test for lead water contamination “at all the elementary and child care facilities they serve.” … The EPA ruling will not require utilities to remediate the water if tests show lead to be present. In other words, the EPA will point out the problem, but it won’t do anything to fix it. …

Kids are being poisoned with lead at school every day, yet we deny the nation’s leading environmental regulator the authority to protect them from a known and extremely serious long-term health threat. The nation’s children need us to do better than this.