Talking about the #OpioidCrisis & the road to recovery at @WomackAMC this morning. If you’re reading this, YOU have a role to play in our efforts to address this crisis! Check out & share my digital postcard on 5️⃣ things everyone can do to prevent opioid misuse. #TuesdayThoughts
Appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the work of @Fay_DreamCenter. This faith-based community health center supports children in need and serves as a touch point for other referrals based on what might be going on in the child’s life.
Incredible visit to @wakehealth this afternoon. I especially loved the opportunity to tour your labor and delivery unit and highlight @HHSGov efforts to address substance misuse and improve #MaternalHealth.
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NEW: Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence. Firearm violence is a public health crisis in America that poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of our country. 1/10 Surgeongeneral.gov/firearm-violen…
A staggering 54% of adults report that they or a family member have experienced a firearm-related incident (been personally threatened with or injured by a firearm, lost a family member, witnessed a shooting, or shot a firearm in self-defense). 2/10
What is especially devastating is how this has affected our kids. Firearm violence is now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents—more than car accidents or drug overdoses. 3/10
NEW: Today, I released a Surgeon General's Advisory on the epidemic of loneliness and isolation facing our country, the destructive impacts it has on our collective health, and the extraordinary healing power of our relationships. Surgeongeneral.gov/loneliness#Connect2Heal 1/8
At the height of the #COVID19 pandemic, we gained a greater appreciation for how crucial relationships are to our well-being. The pandemic led to greater loneliness for many, but there was widespread social disconnection even before #COVID19. 2/8
Loneliness and social disconnection are more common than we realize. In recent years, about one in two adults reported experiencing loneliness. It's also more widespread than many other health issues including smoking, diabetes, and obesity. 3/8
I'm grateful to @VP Kamala Harris for joining me today at @ChildrensNatl hospital to thank the staff for their heroic work and to announce my new Surgeon General’s Advisory on a growing threat to the nation’s health: health worker burnout. 1/7
Health workers nationwide have long grappled with systemic challenges that have driven burnout to record levels—from excessive workloads to physical/verbal abuse to poor access to mental health care. 2/7
.@VP Harris and I heard from health workers in a range of positions how the last 2+ years of the pandemic only exacerbated those challenges. 3/7
NEW: Today, I released a Surgeon General’s Advisory calling the nation to address a growing threat to our individual and collective health: health worker burnout. Health workers have long had our back—it’s time for us to have theirs. surgeongeneral.gov/burnout 1/6
Over the past 2+ years, health workers have been on the frontlines of the #COVID19 pandemic, where they not only saved lives, but in too many cases, sacrificed their own health and the health of their families as they served others. 2/6
The stakes are high. If not addressed, the health worker burnout crisis will make it harder for patients to get care when they need it, cause health costs to rise, hinder our ability to prepare for the next public health emergency, and worsen health disparities. 3/6
The recent court ruling has given travelers the option to choose whether or not to wear masks on flights, buses, and trains. Having been on a plane myself yesterday—and recognizing cases are on the rise in many states—here is why I will continue to wear a mask when I travel. 1/6
Even if you're low risk and aren’t concerned about #COVID19, you could transmit the virus to someone who isn’t so lucky—like the millions of Americans who can’t get vaxed (kids under 5), haven’t yet gotten vaxed, or have medical conditions that make them high risk. 2/6
People at higher risk depend on the rest of us to help break the chain of transmission and reduce spread. Our decisions affect others. 3/6
On April 5, 2022 @POTUS Biden called on @HHSGov to coordinate across the federal government to develop and issue the first-ever interagency national research action plan on long COVID. 1/4
This will advance progress in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and provision of services, support, and interventions for individuals experiencing long COVID and associated conditions. 2/4
In less than 4 months, @HHSGov will issue 2 special reports outlining services & supports across federal agencies to assist people experiencing long COVID, dealing with a #COVID19-related loss, or experiencing mental health & substance use conditions related to the pandemic. 3/4