I am so honored to join Senator @SarahEMcBride for an important roundtable with medical and direct service providers from Delaware to discuss their work supporting and empowering trans and LGBTQI+ youth, and access to gender-affirming care services. Gender-affirming care is medical care. It is mental health care. It is suicide prevention care. It improves quality of life, and it saves lives. It is based on decades of study. It is a well-established medical practice.

(2/6) It makes all the difference in the world to hear just one supportive person reminding you that you are a valuable human being, that your life is important, that you have no less dignity than anyone else.

Next stop in Allentown, @LehighUHealth’s new Institute of Health Policy and Politics. One lesson we learned from COVID-19 is that we’re all interconnected. This @LehighU institute is committed to breaking down silos in health and politics and working across disciplines. It’s always a pleasure to meet students on the road and introduce them to @usphscc. I have no doubt that the new @LehighUHealth Institute will cultivate some of our brightest leaders!

For more information about the Public Health Service, visit usphs.gov

I am pleased to announce our most recent advance in our #COVID19 testing ecosystem – one that will support the continued safe and sensible reopening of America, and particularly our K-12 schools. The Administration and @HHSGov will distribute approximately 100 million @AbbottNews #BinaxNOW tests to governors of states and territories, beginning with a total of 6.5 million tests this week!

1/4 ACLA labs have developed and validated novel #COVID19 tests and continue to ramp up high quality #COVID19 with rapid results. 2/4 At @HHSGov, we are committed to leveraging every possible opportunity to expand our nation's #COVID19 testing capacity.

That’s why we invested $6.5 million in diagnostic labs: hhs.gov/about/news/202…

Let me be clear, we’re still partnering w/retail & pharmacy companies such as @CVSHealth, @HealthMart, @riteaid, @Walgreens & @Walmart to conduct #COVID19 testing. Since @POTUS launched this initiative, sites conducted nearly 2M tests & have been offered an extension thru Nov 30.

https://twitter.com/Honeste82021993/status/1301623547081764866

Thanks to our retail and pharmacy partnerships in 800 + locations across America, we have expanded our community testing support to a sustainable model in our most vulnerable communities.

The United States 🇺🇸 is leading the world in #COVID19 testing; as of today, over 78 Million tests have been completed. We’ve established surge testing sites in 8 states in areas hardest hit by the virus. This provides high risk communities w/ the ability to test 5000 people every day for 2 weeks. Over 210,000 #COVID19 tests have been conducted at these sites w/ an avg turnaround time of 2 days.

(1/6)The federal gov't is not ending funding or support for #COVID19 testing sites. We expanded from the original 41 sites to >600 in 48 states and DC & enabled almost 1400 pharmacy sites through regulatory flexibility empowering pharmacists & facilitating billing & reimbursement (2/6) To find a retail #COVID19 testing site visit: bit.ly/3dwjeHc

This #WorldSickleCellDay, let us renew our commitment to improving the lives of everyone living with #SickleCell disease around the world and celebrate the important progress we’re making against the disease. Join the movement to help raise awareness about #SCD! #SickleCellDisease is a serious health condition which affects the body’s red blood cells and can cause intense episodes of pain. Learn more about #SCD from @CDC_NCBDDD and @CDCgov: cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklec…

(1/7) Want to learn more about the different types of tests for SARS-CoV-2, better known as #COVID19? Follow this thread to learn more! (2/7) The most common test for #COVID19 is the viral test. This test measures if you CURRENTLY have an active #COVID19 infection. @CDCgov provides an overview: cdc.gov/coronavirus/20….

As I stated this evening, America leads the world in testing–both quantitatively and qualitatively. We have a diverse set of #COVID19 tests in our testing ecosystem which is essential to keeping our country safe. No other country has done more #COVID19 testing than America 🇺🇸. Today, we will top over 9 million tests.

1/5 I’ve been getting a lot of questions about #COVID19 testing, what’s coming down the pipeline and who should get tested. Here is a recap 👇 2/5 Our testing strategy has three components. Number one, syndromic surveillance testing. Number two, actively testing someone with #COVID19 symptoms and contact tracing. Lastly, number three, the antibody or “serological” test.

In 2018 there was a 4.1% drop in drug overdose deaths in the United States. This is the first drop in 29 years. We must continue to push the envelope in #PublicHealth to continue this trend in the RIGHT direction. #AMANAC While we have made great strides, more work remains. It is imperative that we address the 4th Wave of America’s Overdose Epidemic, and that is #methamphetamine abuse. #AMANAC

I’m testifying before the @HouseJudiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security today for a hearing on Fentanyl Analogues: Perspectives on Classwide Scheduling.
@HHSGov supports the permanent scheduling of fentanyl analogs as a class but we also need protections and facilitations of research on these and other classes of molecules.

Since late December, there have been 123 earthquakes of magnitude three or higher in Puerto Rico. This week, I am visiting Puerto Rico at the invitation of @DeptSaludPR's Secretary of Health, Dr. Rafael Rodriguez Mercado, and assessing the public health needs after the recent earthquakes.

As flu becomes widespread across the nation, it’s time for a #Flu #Tweetorial: 33 states, DC, NYC, and Puerto Rico are all experiencing HIGH levels of flu-like illness. bit.ly/2Re4lAg
1/10 This means rates of hospitalization and death from flu are similar or lower than what we typically see around this time of year. This could change.
#Flu #Tweetorial 2/10

November is #DiabetesAwarenessMonth! Do you know the difference between #Type1Diabetes and #Type2Diabetes? #Type1Diabetes is less common than type 2, ~ 5% of people w/ Diabetes have it. Diet, sugar intake & lifestyle habits do not cause #T1D. It is caused by an autoimmune reaction that destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

Methamphetamine is the fourth wave of the overdose crisis hitting our country. In the 34 states that report monthly mortality, 12 of those states have methamphetamine deaths that outnumber fentanyl deaths. In two of those states, methamphetamine deaths now outnumber all opioid deaths. cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr…

Today marks another key step in our goal to transform kidney care, as well as for all awaiting a transplant. Please see & comment on our proposed new PHS Guideline that will enhance the availability & preserve the safety of organs for transplant. @HHSGov hhs.gov/oidp/advisory-… @HHSGov Did you know that over 113,000 Americans are suffering with a failing organ and in need of a transplant? But sadly, current donations do not meet the need and at least 20 people per day die while on the transplant waiting list. #DYK

Today marks 18 months as @HHS_ASH. My sincerest gratitude to @realDonaldTrump and @SecAzar for this opportunity! Thank you to the dedicated professionals within OASH and the #publichealth community for supporting our initiatives that combat substance abuse, #HIV, #vaccine hesitancy, #SickleCell, health disparities, and many other issues.

My vaccine heroes? There are far too many. Let’s start with @SecAzar who has made it clear vaccines are a national #publichealth priority! #ivax2protect #NIAM

https://twitter.com/HHSvaccines/status/1156913027830206464

@SecAzar More vaccine heroes? How about Dr. Peter Hotez – father of a child with autism – who makes it clear that vaccines are safe and do NOT cause autism. #NIAM19