Stephen Patrick, MD, MPH
@stephenwpatrick.bsky.social
Professor & Chair of Health Policy & Management at Rollins School of Public Health | Neonatologist at Children's Hospital of Atlanta | Emory University | Former White House Senior Policy Advisor | Child Policy/Medicaid/Opioid Crisis | Views my own
Vaccinating babies at birth has reduced hepatitis B infections by 99 percent. Is RFK’s new CDC committee about to stop recommending it? share.google/9e3BTpcrGKSY...
Newborn hepatitis B vaccine under fire as RFK Jr. and GOP Senators question immunization
The CDC's vaccine advisory panel is set to discuss and possibly vote on the vaccine at a meeting next week.
share.google
The new Emory-Rollins National Child Policy Poll reveals how U.S. adults view recent federal actions and proposals that affect children's health. "Cuts to critical public health programs that serve the nation’s children are unpopular across the political spectrum.” - @stephenwpatrick.bsky.social
Poll: Americans Largely Don't Support Federal Changes to Child Health Programs
A new national survey from Rollins School of Public Health revealed how American adults view recent federal actions and proposals that affect children's health and nutrition.
sph.emory.edu
Oh goodness. This is study is a sobering evaluation of parents’ and pregnant women’s vaccination intention (with the caveat that intent is not always equivalent to behavior). We have so, so much work to do. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Vaccination Intentions During Pregnancy and Among Parents of Young Children
This survey study of pregnant persons and parents of young children in the US examines vaccination intentions during pregnancy and vaccination behaviors after the child's birth for vaccines recommende...
jamanetwork.com
👀In the name of “protecting vulnerable Americans” the Trump Administration will rip away Medicaid coverage from babies and toddlers👀 CMS announces Medicaid demos that 8 states are implementing to cover babies and young children continuously w/o gaps due to red tape will no longer be allowed.
One issue that I haven't heard as much attention paid to as it deserves regarding the Big Beautiful Bill is the effect on states - especially poor red Medicaid expansion states. Changes to Medicaid and SNAP in the bill push a lot onto states. They make states far more responsible for costs.
A sobering story about the price of vaccines in the current US health system for those who are under-insured. And a cautionary tale for the future, should the government & insurers stop covering this essential part of preventive care. www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
A Texas boy needed protection from measles. The vaccine cost $1,400.
Due to the ongoing U.S. measles outbreak, a Texas man worried that his young son was at risk and took him to get vaccinated. The cost of the shot? $1,400.
washingtonpost.com
“Still, repealing the clean energy tax credits would threaten billions of dollars’ worth of economic investment. In Georgia alone, there have been more than $23.9 billion in new clean energy investments and more than 32,000 new jobs created since the law took effect” www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/c...
In Georgia, Republicans Vote to Kill Green Jobs but Face Little Fallout
nytimes.com
My mom, diagnosed with cancer at 88, wouldn't have gotten five more years of life without cancer research done at the National Institutes of Health. I'd love to hear how NIH and other federal science agencies have benefitted you or your family. #ThanksNIH
Liz Szabo@lizszabo.bsky.social · last yr.My mom, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2000, passed away Friday at the age of 93. She took a chemo regimen called R-CHOP, which allowed her to celebrate 5 more birthdays and hold her great-grandchild. Thank you to scientists giving us those extra years with her. #ThanksNIH
“What is clear is that pregnant women, infants and young children are at higher risk of hospitalization from COVID, and the safety of the COVID vaccine has been widely demonstrated.” publications.aap.org/aapnews/news...
AAP: Removal of COVID vaccines from immunization schedules for healthy children, pregnant people disregards process, increases risk
AAP experts say the move may leave families without the ability to decide whether to get a vaccine for their children. It is unclear how the change will impact insurance coverage.
publications.aap.org
Some of the CDC's main channels for communicating urgent health information to the public have gone silent.
Diseases are spreading. The CDC isn't warning the public like it was months ago
Some of the CDC's main channels for communicating urgent health information to the public have gone silent.
npr.org
Reminded of a story that @hannahnatanson.bsky.social + I did in early April about how DOGE’s cuts were inevitably creating new risks for Americans — including risks related to severe weather
Catherine Rampell@crampell.bsky.social · last yr.After Cuts, a Kentucky Weather Office Scrambles for Staffing as Severe Storms Bear Down www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/w...
The White House's 2026 budget proposal recommends eliminating the Health Resources and Services Administration and cutting rural health funding by 25%, posing a threat to health care access and services in rural areas. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Federal Funds for Rural Health Care May Be Cut
This Medical News article discusses the impact that proposed federal funding cuts for rural health care programs would have on individuals and their communities.
jamanetwork.com
All NIH and NSF grants for my entire team--and for all of Harvard, I guess?--have been terminated. As provocative as that sounds, the practical effect is probably not much. Everything was already frozen. 🤷♂️ On the upside, it makes tracking terminated grants easier. No more guesswork at Harvard!
A new CDC study estimates hundreds of drowning deaths could be prevented by more pool fences & life jackets while boating It was one of last authored by agency's injury prevention researchers, before Secy Kennedy's layoffs largely eliminated them www.cbsnews.com/news/pool-fe...
Pool fences and life jackets could save hundreds of lives, CDC estimates
The study was one of the CDC's last before its injury prevention teams were laid off.
cbsnews.com
Cavities are common for kids. This is not a move supported by data.
NBC News@nbcnews.com · last yr.The FDA announces it will begin the process of pulling prescription fluoride drops and tablets for children off the market. The supplements are usually given to kids at high risk for cavities.
After the end of emergency allotments, there were increases in food insecurity and poor physical health days among SNAP participants. ja.ma/43dp8ZN @rkwadhera.bsky.social
Bravo @stephenwpatrick.bsky.social and colleagues @emoryrollins.bsky.social for surveying Georgia parents' attitudes toward #vaccines (and many other family health topics) -- thanks @rgrapevine.bsky.social www.healthbeat.org/atlanta/2025...
Most Georgia parents believe vaccines are safe, according to Emory survey
A recent Emory survey on what Georgia parents think about the well-being of their children found that most believe childhood vaccines are safe. However, school quality, bullying and social media are a...
healthbeat.org
Thoughtful insights from HPM's Ilana Graetz on the impact of recent cuts to HHS. “These delays affect not only research institutions and investigators but also critical training programs for the next generation of public health and medical leaders.” www.healthline.com/health-news/...
19 States, D.C. Sue Trump Administration Over HHS Layoffs
Attorneys general in 19 states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's plans to significantly reduce staffing at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),...
healthline.com
🚨 New Report Out This Week We just released The State of Child Health and Well-being in Georgia 2025 — the first statewide snapshot of what families are facing, based on nearly 1,000 parent voices. 📄 [Insert link] #GeorgiaKids #PublicHealth #ChildHealth sph.emory.edu/news/news-re...
New Survey Reveals Top Health Concerns Among Georgia Parents | Rollins School of Public Health | Emory University | Atlanta GA
Georgia parents ranked education and school quality as their most urgent concern. Social media and bullying closely followed.
sph.emory.edu
Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.
Most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis, a new poll finds
Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.
npr.org
🚨 New report drops Tuesday: The State of Child Health and Well-being in Georgia 2025. From mental health to economic hardship, the data show where Georgia kids are struggling—and where there’s hope. Let’s make Georgia the best place to be a kid. #ChildHealth #GeorgiaKids #DataToAction
New KFF Tracking Poll looks at opinion on cuts to federal health agencies & programs. Partisans mostly disagree, of course, but majorities of both Ds and Rs oppose major cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, mental health, and infectious disease funding, and VA staff cuts www.kff.org/medicaid/pol...
This is untrue. Some vaccines use cell lines from two elective pregnancy terminations in the 1960s to grow viruses (these cell lines are immortal). The cells derived from them are REMOVED during vaccine production.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last yr.RFK Jr on measles: "The MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris."
NEW: A viewer on RFK Jr.'s 100-day interview with Dr. Phil asked how he'd advise new parents on vaccines. Kennedy urged them to "do your own research." GIFT: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/u...
Kennedy Advises New Parents to ‘Do Your Own Research’ on Vaccines (Gift Article)
In an interview with Dr. Phil, the health secretary offered false information about vaccine oversight and revealed a lack of basic understanding of new drug approvals
nytimes.com
Wonderful talk today by @wrightcensored.bsky.social at HPM @emoryrollins.bsky.social seminar on discrete choice experiments. Great talks and discussion!
“There is a surprising lack of data comparing buprenorphine—the most common treatment for opioid use disorder—with no treatment. We found that the benefits of treatment were profound, substantially reducing risk of preterm birth and severe maternal morbidity.” - @stephenwpatrick.bsky.social
Study: Treating Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy with Buprenorphine Improves Maternal, Infant Health | Rollins School of Public Health | Emory University | Atlanta GA
A new study found that pregnant women with opioid use disorder who received buprenorphine treatment had lower rates of adverse outcomes compared to those who did not receive treatment.
sph.emory.edu
The last three months have been extraordinary. Grants have been canceled, friends who are some of the most committed public servants I know have been fired, entire groups of scientists now gone, data systems shuttered ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H34...
RFK Jr. & HHS: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
youtube.com
At least 50% of pregnant women with opioid use disorder nationwide do not receive treatment Our study in JAMA Health Forum found that buprenorphine treatment was associated with significant improvements in outcomes for mothers and infants Full paper: ja.ma/3EyF00J www.healio.com/news/pediatr...
Buprenorphine during pregnancy improves outcomes for mothers, babies
HONOLULU — Buprenorphine treatment during pregnancy improved perinatal outcomes for women with opioid use disorder and their babies, compared with no treatment, according to a new study.The numb...
healio.com
