Category: Health Dept

Rule Changes & Petition Update

8/15/2020

Health Department Rule Change Proposals DEFEATED!

We hope that this update finds you well & that you all are staying strong and courageous as we navigate through some interesting times across Wyoming. Behind the scenes we have been hard at work to continue the fight to uphold the protection of our medical freedoms as well as prepare for the future.

Finding the balance amid all that is going on around us can prove to be quite a challenge. Know that we are here to be your advocates & support you all through these challenging times. Together we will stand to protect health freedom even as it increasingly becomes tested!

Covid 19 temporarily slowed down the rule change process examining these proposals submitted by the Wyoming Health Department. The legislature’s management council approved & forwarded the rule changes onto Governor Gordon’s office with out any edits or suggestions. For those unaware the legislature only reviews these proposals & ultimately has no decision making power. The people of Wyoming deserve better checks & balances!

After months of tireless work Wyoming Health Freedom contributors & board members secured a meeting with Governor Gordon alongside his health and human Services Liaison Jen Davis that took place on July 10, 2020. In attendance was Alison Brady (Physician’s Assistant) & Contributor, Vanda Cathey (RN) & WHF Board member, Jamie Thompson (Speech Pathologist) & Contributor, Kathyrn Kij WHF Board Member and Legislator(s) Clarence Styvar, Tim Salazar, and Mark Jennings.

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Health Department Update

12/16/2019

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Wyoming Health Department Premature press releases while disregarding a formal response to the public!

"State to require meningitis shot for public school children in 2020" -Casper Star Tribune 11/29/19
"Wyoming Republican Party backs resolution that opposes new vaccine requirements" -Casper Star Tribune 12/16/19

The holiday season is in full swing and the public hearing requested of the Wyoming Health Department took place on October 28, 2019. Meanwhile... Wyoming Health Freedom & Health Freedom supporters from across the state have yet still to hear a formal update in response to their testimony! The health department however has taken the time to comment in several recent press releases across Wyoming while simultaneously neglecting their responsibility to the public.

This bureaucracy the state often refers to as procedural administrative responsibilities. This procedure however is operating unchecked and not being conducted in a timely manner. The rule making process itself is not overnight taking several months of time with several steps before it lands on the governor's desk. According to our investigations from the legislative services office, the proposed rule changes would next be headed the Wyoming legislature management council. Upon inquiring with a representative & member of this council on any further updates; WHF would learn the council would have yet to even receive a copy still of the proposed rule changes themselves. The council's last meeting was Dec 2nd & 3rd.

The Wyoming Health Department has given Wyoming citizens a perception in the media that these proposals are a done deal. The public deserves better than that! There appears to be a pattern with how things have been handled & demonstrated through out this process, with a complete disregard for public transparency at times, sound policy or maintaining deadlines. Which leads WHF members to question what are the point of deadlines if they are not adhered to?

As mentioned in the above press releases, we also wanted to extend a thank you to Taylor Allred, a state committeeman of Lincoln County who presented a resolution to uphold health freedom in the County Republican Platform, along with a thank you to other precinct committee men & women working to propose & adopt similar platform resolutions. We applaud those who respect freedom in healthcare choices with respect to life!

ACTION STEPS

Contact Jude Alden asking her for a response to public comment & status update.

Let her know how it makes you feel that multiple press releases have been made leading the public to believe the rules have been approved or soon to be adopted in just a matter of weeks! All the while the Legislature's Management Council have still yet to even review or send their recommendations to the Governor! as required in the procedural process.

EMAIL> jude.alden@wyo.gov
Jude Alden, MBA, CPM - Immunization Unit Manager
PHONE> 307-777-6001
FAX> 307-777-291
ADDRESS> Wyoming Department of Health - Immunization Unit
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 420, Cheyenne, Wy

Very soon we will be releasing a campaign calling on Governor Gordon to VETO the proposed mandates & rule changes! It is encouraging that he stated in the recent press releases that he wants to hear from the public. However the public needs much more beyond just a seat at the table, Wyoming Citizens need to be heard & our Liberties Upheld!

According to the Casper Star, "Governor Gordon, in a statement sent by a spokesman, said he “appreciates” the interest in vaccines from the public and the state’s Republican Party. He said that he has yet to receive the rules, but when he does, he will review them and allow for more public comment."

And lastly, as stated in one of the above press releases, there are some individuals in Wyoming that seek to limit religious freedom & Informed Consent. Now more than ever we must remain vigilant!

"Dr. David Wheeler, a Casper neurologist and the president of Wyoming Medical Society, said in a statement that the organization “strongly supports legislation limiting exemptions to vaccine requirements to legitimate medical concerns.”

Wyoming Health Freedom is a volunteer organization and we depend on your support to help preserve our mission to continue the fight for Health Freedom in Wyoming! We can not fight alone. If you would like to donate visit our Take Action tab to find our Donate link or Join Today!

To Liberty & Health Freedom!

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Health Dept Hearing Tips & Talking Points

10/25/2019

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*** Important Hearing Information**

* Tips & Suggestions for Testifying

*** Talking Points**

Wyoming Health Freedom Members & Supporters,

We want to thank everyone that took the time to register for the upcoming health department hearing on October 28 from 12-4 pm. The hearing information was released with very short notice, yet many of you responded to our call to action. It's because of your persistence that we now have an opportunity to have our voices heard! So for that we thank you very much for your support & dedication to Health Freedom in Wyoming!

IMPORTANT HEARING INFORMATION

Released as of 1:51pm 10/25 by the Wyoming Health Dept:
Thank you for registering to provide comment during the Public Hearing on the Wyoming Department of Health Immunization Program Proposed Administrative Rules on October 28 at 12:00 pm at the Laramie County Library, Cottonwood Room, Cheyenne, WY.

For those participating virtually or on the phone, if you do not wish to speak publicly, we are providing opportunity to submit a written comment during the hearing. To do so, please send an email with your comment to wdh.immrules@wyo.gov. Please include your first and last name, city of residence, if applicable, affiliation, and the specific Chapter and Section your comment is concerning. The email must be sent from the same address that you used to register for this hearing.

Participants attending in person will be provided with a form for written comment if they do not wish to speak publicly.

A comment will not be considered received unless submitted during the hearing window (12:00 pm - 4:00pm) from a registered email. If you wish to change your comment to a written submission, please reply to this email to notify us so that you are not called upon during the hearing to publicly speak.

The proposed rule changes would remove the requirement from the health department being required to delete your information from the vaccine tracking system on your request and instead it would allow them to store yourself or your child’s vaccination information in their vaccine tracking system even if you have opted out. It also makes changes to the way medical exemptions are described which could allow for medical exemptions to be restricted by the state, and it adds a new mandate for meningitis vaccines.

Tips & Suggestions

Offer Facts, Counter Arguments, & Personal Stories
Have a focus & highlight the rest, each person will be allotted a 3 minute time slot. Due to time constraints not all may have an opportunity to speak, however there is now a written option to participate as stated above.
Consider seeking a confirmation during your testimony that the wording "genuine" has in fact actually been removed from the rule change proposals. As religious exemptions forms on the health dept website currently still contain the language "I certify that I have a genuine religious objection"
For those testifying in person, if one person misses a point, the next person can highlight on it to make sure all points are covered

For help with questions about the rules or the hearing, please contact the WDH Immunization Unit by calling (307)-777-7952 or emailing wdh.immrules@wyo.gov

Talking Points

Addition of Meningococcal (serogroups A, C, W & Y)

1) Wyoming has had 21 cases & 2 deaths between (2005-2015),
2016-17 there were no cases of meningococcal & the last years of record available.
Average age: 21 years
Median Age: 20 years
Age Range: 4 months to 86 years
Two cases resulted in death

According to the 2017 CDC report https://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/downloads/NCIRD-EMS-Report-2017.pdf, Wyoming was one of five states and the District of Columbia that did not participate in the 2017 Enhanced Meningococcal Disease Surveillance. The 2017 report on that CDC web page contains a map, revealing that Wyoming is in the lowest group of states showing incidence of meningococcal disease, which is the group having 0.00 to <0.06 cases per 100,000 population. Further research into Wyoming cases of meningococcal disease shows that during the 11 years from 2005 through 2015, there were very few incidences of it. The Wyoming Department of Health web page https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/infectious-disease-epidemiology-unit/disease/meningitis/ says: "When a case of meningitis is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis it is known as meningococcal meningitis. Between 2005 and 2015 there were 21 cases of N. meningitidis in Wyoming.

2) -If approximately 7,600 Wyoming sixth graders are given the Menactra or Menveo meningitis vaccines, Wyoming can reasonably expect 76 serious adverse events and possibly 0.228 deaths in Wyoming sixth graders per year.

-If approximately 6,400 Wyoming eleventh graders are given the Menactra or Menveo meningitis vaccines, Wyoming can reasonable expect 64 serious adverse events and possibly 0.192 deaths in Wyoming eleventh graders per year.

*Student Enrollment Source: Wyoming Department of Education statistics for numbers of students in each grade
https://portals.edu.wyoming.gov/Reports/Public/wde-reports-2012/public-reports/stat-2/historicalenrollmentbygradeforstate

3) 2012 a mandate was proposed in the legislature: it was deemed it wasn’t worth the economic impact to Wy citizens but education would be more beneficial. What changed?

4)  Everyone would be required to resubmit exemption forms.

5)  Package insert for menactra showed a 1% rate of severe adverse events in 11-55 age group. Meningococcal meningitis infections far fewer than 1% of the population, so we are creating reactions in far more people than we are helping with the immunization. Source: https://www.fda.gov/media/75619/download

-According to the CDC Pink Book
0.3 percent of those with “serious adverse events” from MenACWY-D meningitis vaccine will die. Of those receiving MenACWY-CRM vaccine, 0.4 percent of those with "serious adverse events" will die.

6)  According to VAERS, as of this month, there were 10,243 serious reactions and 152 deaths implicating this vaccine. Meningitis vaccines list documented side effects including death, anaphylaxis/anaphylactic reaction, difficulty breathing, upper airway swelling, Guillain-Barré syndrome, dizziness, convulsion, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, irritability, abnormal crying, fever, drowsiness, fatigue, injection site pain and swelling, sudden loss of consciousness (syncope), diarrhea, headache, joint pain, brain inflammation, and facial palsy. Menveo, Menomune, Menactra

Multidose vials of Menomune vaccine still contain thimerosal, a mercury derivative and neurotoxin

7)  Meningococcal vaccine is currently available to any family who wants it and its use should not be compelled by law

8)  No randomized control that included a true inert placebo group but instead another comparator/vaccine that also did not use a placebo in it’s studies. This is the only way a product can be deemed safe. HHS calls this the “gold standard” for safety trials. Except for vaccines?

9)  Price per Vaccine - (includes proposed Menactra, Trumemba & others)
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/awardees/vaccine-management/price-list/index.html

Evidence of Immunity to Chickenpox

1)  Chickenpox is a mild disease but very contagious and it would be unwise to visit a physician's office where there may be medically fragile patients, putting them at risk.

2)  Not all families work with licensed physicians, PA's or CNP's. For example a Naturopath and Chiropractor for wellness care. This requirement would force them to seek a medical practitioner that is unknown to them and does not know their family.

3)  Titer testing is an invasive procedure requiring blood to be drawn and sent to a lab. If the family has no insurance the cost can be prohibitive. Cost ranges from $20 at public to $150 for private pay.

4)  If a parents word is not taken as truth this could create an adversarial relationship with the school district.

Removing Patient Consent in Order to retain individual identifiable info on the IIS

1)  FACT: Currently Chapter 5, Section 13 states – (i) The Department may not retain individually identifiable information in the IIS (state’s vaccine tracking data base) for a patient listed on an approved Use and Disclosure Restriction (F-12) form. Proposed rule change – the statement above is replaced with Section 11 – Use and Disclosure Restriction to state – A patient or parent may request an exclusion of his or his child’s immunization information from the WY IIS (state’s vaccine tracking data base) using the form and process established by the Department. Immunization information shall be maintained in aggregate format.

2)  COUNTER ARGUMENT: Removing Patient Consent in the current section 13 from Chapter 5 of the Wyoming Immunization Information System (WY IIS) in order to retain individually identifiable information in the IIS for a patient is in violation of our right to privacy. The new proposed policy establishes the ability to opt out, however informed consent is essential and will most likely be very difficult to enforce with an opt out policy alone. OPPOSE retaining individually identifiable information, which is prohibited in current policy.

3)  Once an individual’s information is in the database, it can be shared with a long list of entities without the parent or individual’s knowledge or consent because federal law referred to as HIPPA, 45 CFR §164.512(b) of the Privacy Rule, permits public health authorities to do this. This federal law allows disclosure of private, protected health information without individual authorization for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability, including, but not limited to, the reporting of disease, the conduct of public health surveillance, public health investigations, and public health interventions such as home visits to increase vaccination rates.

4)  It seems the goal of tracking is to identify who is and more importantly who is not getting their vaccines, how about tracking vaccine injury and death for Wyoming’s children instead? THIS IS IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC HEALTH ! A TRUE PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURE !

5)  Registries = A form of Coercion!

Advances in data collection simply make an Orwellian slippery slope even more slippery.

6)  There is no protection in using de-identified “aggregate data” as this rule change is suggesting. Legislators should not be fooled by government agency bureaucrats hiding behind the guise of security and privacy from de-identified data!

Contraindication addition - permanent or temporary for medical waivers

The proposed change requires the provider to list if the contraindication is temporary or permanent and also requires the provider to list the medical contraindication to vaccination.

1)  The current form does not require explanation of the contraindication and retains the patient’s right to privacy.

2)  The change to the medical exemption form sets the stage for interference from the state in the decision making of the provider.

3)  This was discussed in Supreme Court case Jones V State of Wyoming DOH “Such interrogation brings up concerns regarding invasion into the right of privacy and intrusion into the physician-patient relationship. Further, the legislature has provided for any student who has not been immunized to be excluded from school in the event of an outbreak of any vaccine preventable disease, thus providing a protection for all students. See Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 21-4-309(a) (LEXIS 1999). Reading the statute in pari materia, we believe the legislature has expressed a balance between protecting individual rights and protecting the public interest and see no reason to provide further conditions to the authorization of a waiver under the guise of statutory interpretation. We will not invade the province of the legislature.”

4)  Also request for removal of the link to “Conditions incorrectly perceived as contraindications,” as this is NOT in the best interest of the child. This is intended to coerce doctors into denying a medical exemption for legitimate reactions that could cause long term harm to the child. New evidence shows that children with ANY seizures have an increased risk of developing a broad range of psychiatric conditions, “most notably, schizophrenia, but also anxiety and mood disorders.”

30 Day Catch-Up

1)  It is now common knowledge according to the latest scientific research that there are genetic traits that make a person more susceptible to vaccine injury. The Institute of Medicine recognizes that some children have a pre-existing susceptibility to vaccine injury. Medical science has not been able to identify which children are susceptible and whether genetic, allergic, autoimmune or metabolic factors are responsible. If the IOM recognizes these factors then a one size fits all approach is not working!

2)  Vaccines never been tested against an inert placebo, and they have NEVER been tested in any type of combination, including the 16 vaccines and 72 doses currently give in the ACIP standard schedule.

3)  Health & Human Services funded a study conducted by Harvard Medical School that showed less than <1% of vaccine injuries and deaths are reported to VAERS.

Wyoming Health Freedom is a volunteer organization and we depend on your support to help preserve our mission to continue the fight for Health Freedom in Wyoming! We can not fight alone. If you would like to donate please visit our "Take Action" tab to find our donation link. Thank you for your support!

To Liberty & Health Freedom!

Comments

Rule Changes & Petition Update

Health Department Rule Change Proposals DEFEATED!

Health Department Update

Wyoming Health Department Premature press releases while disregarding a formal response to the public!

ACTION STEPS

Health Dept Hearing Tips & Talking Points

*** Important Hearing Information**

* Tips & Suggestions for Testifying

*** Talking Points**

Wyoming Health Freedom Members & Supporters,

Tips & Suggestions

Talking Points

WHF

Archives

Categories

Rule Changes & Petition Update

Health Department Rule Change Proposals DEFEATED!

Health Department **Update**

Wyoming Health Department Premature press releases while disregarding a formal response to the public!

ACTION STEPS

Health Dept Hearing Tips & Talking Points

​﻿* Important Hearing Information﻿​

* Tips & Suggestions for Testifying

﻿* Talking Points​​

Wyoming Health Freedom Members & Supporters,

Tips & Suggestions

Talking Points

WHF

Archives

Categories

Health Department Update

*** Important Hearing Information**

*** Talking Points**