“Twenty-five highly-qualified New Mexicans have been nominated by Gov. Lujan Grisham and confirmed by the State Senate to serve on Boards of Regents at public colleges, universities, and special schools across the state.” Full text of the announcement from the New Mexico Higher Education Department at the link below.
By Dr. Lyndon Haviland
April 2, 2021
TheHill.com
Last week a group of child health advocates signed an open letter urging President Biden to recognize April 8 as World Day for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention, Healing and Justice. The group is also calling on Biden to create a Presidential Commission to End Sexual Violence Against Children, comprised of “experts including researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and, importantly, adult survivors.” The group is urging Biden to establish the new commission within the first 200 days of his administration. The cosigners, me being one of them, are asking Biden to shine a national spotlight on a topic that has long been considered too taboo for an open discussion — child sexual abuse.
By Dr. Lyndon Haviland
March 22, 2021
TheHill.com
As we mark the one year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the pandemic, we can see signs of long awaited progress. There’s still work to do, but there’s undeniable excitement that we’re headed in the right direction. For America’s homeless, however, there will be little celebration when we reach herd immunity.
By Dr. Lyndon Haviland
March 4, 2021
TheHill.com
The 500,000 lives lost to COVID-19 is a sobering milestone symbolizing America’s failed, 50-state approach in combatting the pandemic. … For the living, the pandemic has revealed stark inequities in accessing the fundamental tools necessary to survive a crisis like this. The ability to stay connected, consume healthy food and receive important health-related services are at the top of the list.
February 12, 2021
By Dr. Lyndon Haviland
TheHill.com
This week brought encouraging news that nearly 9.1 percent of the U.S. population has already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. … But an ugly truth lurks beneath the surface of these promising data points: the glaring racial disparity between those who are receiving vaccine shots and those who are not.
January 28, 2021
Dr. Haviland commented on the current state of vaccine distribution: “Many states have had a little chaos where they were planning for a certain number of vaccinations, and the vaccine supplies have not arrived. It’s very encouraging that the Biden administration has increased their order for vaccines …” (Link to the full interview below)
By Dr. Lyndon Haviland
1.22.21
TheHill.com
Outgoing Health and Human Services (HHS) Sec. Alex Azar announced last week the U.S. would soon distribute our COVID-19 vaccine stockpile to try and accelerate the pace of U.S. immunizations.
We now know this reserve has already been depleted and that every available dose is being taken directly from the production line and put into circulation.
The threat this aggressive strategy presents to public health safety is extraordinary. … Anything that risks a delay in the delivery of a second shot gambles our future. It rests on a belief that, with vaccine production on the rise, the reserve can reach more people. Yet we simply don’t know if manufacturers will have enough time to keep pace and generate more doses for those on-the-clock to receive the second shot.
By Dr. Lyndon Haviland
December 26, 2020
TheHill.com
U.S. Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy made headlines this month when he reacted to the findings of an investigation into the climate of violence and sexual harassment at Fort Hood, Texas. “This report, without a doubt,” he said, “will cause the Army to change our culture.”
If the secretary is true to his word, he will also commit to dismantling the cover-up culture of child sexual abuse at Army posts both here and abroad. The secretaries of the Navy and Air Force should commit to do the same.
By Dr. Lyndon Haviland
December 11, 2020
TheHill.com
The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the UK has the world teeming with excitement that the end of the pandemic is near. It isn’t, and we can’t afford to think or act this way.
By Dr. Lyndon Haviland
November 17, 2020
TheHill.com
Moderna’s 94.5 percent vaccine efficacy rate brings renewed hope that a preventative therapy to reduce the spread of COVID-19 may be close at hand. This news is especially welcome as cases continue to spike across the country. But unless the American people trust it (or any of the other vaccines currently under development for that matter), nothing will change.