Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Sworn in as HHS Secretary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been sworn in as the 26th secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
Kennedy was sworn on Feb. 13, following Senate confirmation along party lines.
As NPR reported, Democrats opposed Kennedy’s “conspiracy theories” linking vaccines to autism and contentions that vaccines are more harmful than the diseases they’re intended to prevent.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was the lone Republican to vote against Kennedy’s confirmation. On his website, McConnell said, “I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world. I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.
“Individuals, parents, and families have a right to push for a healthier nation and demand the best possible scientific guidance on preventing and treating illness. But a record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions does not entitle Mr. Kennedy to lead these important efforts.”
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation estimates that 300,000 polio survivors currently live in the United States, and estimates that 25% to 50% of survivors are living with or will develop post-polio syndrome, a condition that can impact mobility and balance, swallowing, breathing, muscle and skeletal structure, and bone mineral density, and can cause neurogenic bowel and bladder.
DAV Guide Provides Best Practices for Hiring Veterans with Disabilities
Disabled American Veterans’ (DAV), which will sponsor more than 90 in-person and virtual job fairs this year, has a resource for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities.
The resource — The Veteran Advantage: DAV Guide to Hiring and Retaining Veterans with Disabilities — is free to download. “Nearly 4 million veterans have a service-connected disability and are among the most resilient members of society, having served in the military and overcome adversity,” DAV National Adjutant and CEO Barry A. Jesinoski said in the guide.
Chapters include the business case for hiring veterans with disabilities; strategies for recruiting and hiring veterans with disabilities; strategies for retaining veterans with disabilities; understanding the transition to civilian life and work; and understanding PTSD and traumatic brain injury.
The guide includes a checklist for prospective employers.
