Healthy Town

We knew how to prevent this.
For decades, vaccination pushed measles out of everyday life in America. Millions of illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths have been prevented because generations of parents vaccinated their children.
Now we are experiencing the highest number of U.S. measles cases in more than 35 years.
Children are getting sick. Some are being hospitalized. Some have died.
The science didn’t suddenly stop working.
The vaccine didn’t suddenly stop working.
What changed was our willingness to use what we already know works.
This isn’t a failure of science.
It’s a failure of leadership.
Please talk with your physician and rely on qualified medical guidance.

CMS has issued new guidance on Medicaid work and reporting requirements, including an optional three-tier medical-frailty framework.
Some people with serious or advanced cancer may qualify for Tier 1 protection. But active cancer treatment alone does not automatically guarantee an exemption.
That leaves an important decision with the states.
We are asking state leaders to protect patients in active cancer treatment — including surgery and other invasive treatment — from work and reporting requirements that could put coverage at risk during care.
Contact your state legislator and ask them to act.
Find your legislator:
https://open.pluralpolicy.com

Twenty-five years later, we remember those killed on September 11 and those who have died since from illnesses related to the attacks. We remember the families and communities living with those losses.
For many survivors, first responders and recovery workers, the consequences continue through cancer, respiratory illness and the lasting effects of trauma. This is not only history. It is part of people’s lives today.
Our thoughts are with those who are grieving, those receiving treatment, and those carrying wounds others may never see.

With remembrance for all lives lost to terrorism and compassion for all lives forever changed.



Sources:

National September 11 Memorial & Museum — honoring those who became ill or died from exposure to hazards and toxins following the attacks.
https://www.911memorial.org/visit/memorial/glade
CDC World Trade Center Health Program — covered conditions, including cancers, respiratory illnesses and mental health conditions.
https://www.cdc.gov/wtc/conditions.html

18.5 million adults are projected to be subject to new Medicaid work requirements each year once the law is fully implemented.
Beginning January 1, 2027, many Medicaid enrollees will have to meet work or qualifying-activity requirements and navigate new reporting rules to maintain coverage. For someone in active cancer treatment, losing coverage because of paperwork, reporting requirements or an unclear exemption could interrupt lifesaving care. Active cancer treatment — including surgery and other invasive treatment should be a clear exemption. Patients should not have to depend on whether they meet a state’s definition of “medically frail” to keep their health coverage during treatment. States are making implementation decisions now. Ask your state legislators and Medicaid officials to protect patients in active cancer treatment.
Find your state legislators:
Plural Policy — Find Your Legislators
pluralpolicy.com/open/
Sources:
Congressional Budget Office estimate, cited by the Urban Institute: approximately 18.5 million Medicaid expansion adults would be subject to the work requirements each year once fully implemented.
Urban Institute — “Many Working People Would Be Shut Out of Medicaid under Proposed Work Requirements”
KFF — “Medicaid Work Requirements: Federal Outreach Requirements and State Plans”
The requirements are scheduled to begin January 1, 2027, with states responsible for implementation and exemptions.
Plural Policy — free tool to find state and federal legislators.

America’s drinking water problem is not limited to one city or one contaminant.
Across the United States, communities face different combinations of aging infrastructure, lead service lines, PFAS, sewage contamination, monitoring failures and delayed repairs. The severity varies greatly from place to place.
Jackson, Mississippi is an especially serious example, but it is not the only community dealing with drinking-water challenges.
People should know what is in their drinking water.
You can start by finding your local water system’s annual Consumer Confidence Report through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It can tell you where your water comes from, what contaminants were detected and whether your system reported violations.
Resources:
U.S. EPA Drinking Water
https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water
Find your local Consumer Confidence Report
https://www.epa.gov/ccr
Lead in Drinking Water
https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water
PFAS and Drinking Water
https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas
If you have concerns about your own water, contact your local water utility or health department and ask what is being tested, what has been detected and what is being done about it.
Safe drinking water is public health.
It should not depend on your ZIP code.

Food safety is public health.
For many people, foodborne illness may mean a miserable few days. For someone undergoing cancer treatment, living with a weakened immune system, or recovering from surgery, the consequences can be much more serious.
That is why food inspections, laboratories, outbreak tracking and trained public health workers matter. These systems are not abstract. They help protect people who may be least able to withstand an infection.
Prevention matters most when the people at greatest risk have the least margin for error.
For individual health questions, talk with your physician.

Public health leadership should be grounded in evidence, expertise and a duty to protect people.

What troubles me most is when highly educated, credentialed professionals appear willing to set aside established evidence or expert consensus for political reasons. A medical degree, title or appointment does not lessen responsibility. It increases it.

Physicians and public health leaders are entrusted with decisions that can affect millions of people, including those who are most vulnerable to the consequences of getting those decisions wrong.

Disagreement is part of science. Politics is part of government. But knowingly putting politics ahead of evidence in matters of health is something else entirely.

That is why public trust matters.

Science does not run on politics, volume or social media.
It tests claims, corrects mistakes and follows the evidence.
For health and medical questions, see your physician.

The worldwide toll demonstrates both the danger of measles and the lifesaving power of vaccination.
Historically lower numbers in the United States do not mean measles is harmless. They demonstrate what vaccination and strong public-health systems accomplish. As of August 27, the United States had already reported 2,903 confirmed measles cases in 2026.
If you have questions about the MMR vaccine or other vaccinations, ask your physician or pediatrician which vaccines are recommended for you and your family.
Follow the evidence. Listen to physicians, scientists and public-health experts.
Sources: World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention