One of the reasons the State promoted vaccinations is because it keeps healthcare costs lower. It should be obvious that preventing a disease is cheaper than treating a disease.<p>Here’s a quote from the press release: [1]<p>> Every business owner knows that to promote one thing, you must choose not to promote something else. We saw many examples of this over the past four years, in which people missed routine screenings and cancers went undiagnosed. Treatment for substance abuse was put on the back burner as deaths from opioid overdoses skyrocketed. Mental health disorders were left unattended, spilling over into crises of homelessness and crime. In Louisiana, maternal and infant mortality remain near the worst in the nation. All the while, chronic disease rates continue creeping up to crisis levels. These are the post-pandemic priorities of the Louisiana Department of Health.<p>So they are saying promoting vaccines means they didn’t get to promote cancer screenings of mental health? I am doubtful this change will move the needle on those other issues.<p>1. <a href="https://ldh.la.gov/news/7478" rel="nofollow">https://ldh.la.gov/news/7478</a>
The surgeon general of Louisiana was formerly a U.S. House Representative. Luke Letlow was his campaign chairman and his chief of staff, almost certainly one of the Surgeon General's closest and most trusted colleagues. Luke Letlow died of COVID when he was 41 years old leaving behind a widow and two children.<p>From Luke Letlow's wikipedia page:<p>Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Letlow wore a mask only sporadically during his campaign, and was photographed speaking indoors to constituents when masks were not being worn by him or those gathered.[14] In October, he had encouraged Louisiana officials to relax pandemic restrictions, warning, "We're now at a place if we do not open our economy, we're in real danger."