HJNO Jul/Aug 2025

10  JUL / AUG 2025 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday, June 6, 2025 Dear Mr. Semien, Thank you for your response. Just to ensure I fully understand: Is it LDH’s position that the information we have requested for inclusion in our upcoming Health- care Journal reporting is only available through submission of a formal public records request via the portal you referenced — and that LDH is declining to provide any of the requested public health data through normal departmental communication? I want to ensure I’m accurately representing LDH’s position as we finalize this issue. Kindly, Dianne Hartley US Healthcare Journals _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday, June 6, 2025 Ms. Hartley, Some records may be available on our website at this link: https://healthdata.ldh.la.gov/. To request additional records maintained by LDH, please submit a public records request through our public records request portal. Thanks, Mark _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The LDH link did not contain the information we requested. The public record request was submitted. We were told it would take a minimum of 30 days to fulfill. When our public health department, in a state with many of the worst health outcomes, is that defensive about submitting equivalent information from a White House report to the healthcare journal in their state — that, too, is part of the story. This Report Labels Corporate Influence and Regulatory “Cronyism” As Public-Health Threats The MAHA report doesn’t offer answers. It has been called a diagnosis, not a prescription. It will make you uncomfortable. It is imperfect and incomplete, but it cracks something open. And readers should be warned: The following industries, and those who profit from them, will not like this report. It will be interesting to watch how those powers respond: Government & Public Institutions • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — questioned for conflicts of interest, inadequate tracking of long-term pediatric outcomes, and perceived coziness with industry. • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — implicated for approving drugs, chemicals, and additives that Kennedy claims harm children. • National Institutes of Health (NIH) — criticized for prioritizing treatment over prevention, and for funding research that aligns with pharma over root-cause exploration. • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) — called out for dietary guidelines shaped by food industry lobbyists. • State departments of health — criticized for poor surveillance systems, data gaps, and close ties to pharmaceutical and hospital interests. • Public school systems — indirectly implicated for school lunch programs, overdiagnosis of behavioral conditions, and inadequate physical activity and outdoor time. • Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — its composition and recommendations challenged by Kennedy, with plans to reconstitute it entirely. Pharmaceutical Industry • Vaccine manufacturers — directly accused of overreach, safety concerns, and corrupting influence. • Drug companies (broadly) — accused of overmedicating children and shaping research agendas through funding. • Pharma lobbyists and trade groups — criticized for their outsized political influence, especially via campaign donations, by Ken- nedy and others. Corporate Interests • Food conglomerates (e.g., Nestlé, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz) — criticized for selling ultra-processed, chemical-laden foods marketed to children. • Agribusiness giants (e.g., Bayer/Monsanto, Syngenta) — accused of exposing children to harmful pesticides and chemicals. • Tech and entertainment companies (e.g., TikTok, YouTube, Meta) — suggested by Kennedy that screen addiction and dopamine manipulation are damaging child development. • Petrochemical companies — whose pollutants are linked to cancers, endocrine disruption, and respiratory illness, especially in places like Louisiana’s Cancer Alley. Medical & Scientific Establishment • Medical journals — accused of bias due to advertising and sponsorship dollars from pharmaceutical companies. • Academic institutions — especially those receiving industry or NIH grants with strings attached.