More than 100 physicians across Florida have posted a letter addressedto the Florida Senate questioning the opposition by the state's new surgeon general to COVID-19 precautions such as mask mandates and his advocacy for alternatives to vaccination against the disease.
The physicians, writing as the Committee to Protect Health Care, include six Gainesville doctors. Among them are threefaculty members in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida that has voted in favor of offering a tenured faculty post to Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who was nominated to becomeFlorida's surgeon general by Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.
Officials with the Florida Senate said that, as of Thursday afternoon, the letter had not beenreceived by the Office of the Senate Presidentor the District 10 Office of Senate President WiltonSimpson.
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While Ladapo's published views align with many of DeSantis' policy positions, they place him at odds with some of his colleagues nationallyand federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
None of the faculty in the UF College of Medicine have questionedLadapo's appointment publicly until now. The names of the three faculty members in the UF College of Medicine are Dr. Sandra Gonzalez, Dr. Eloise HarmanandDr. Frederick Southwick.
"I'm astounded that someone with those views was appointed," said Harman, professor emeritus in the UF College of Medicine.
The undated letter opens, "The nomination of Dr. Joseph Ladapo as Florida’s surgeon general is an opportunity for policymakers to clearly define our state’s strategy for effectively addressing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."
It goes on to say, "From a medical perspective, our hospitals and health care facilities are pushed to the breaking point, medical workers are burning out every day and the resources we need to care for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients alike are stretched thin.
"As long as COVID-19 is allowed to continue ravaging our communities, our neighborhoods and our schools, Florida’s health care infrastructure will remain in a state of extreme fragility."
The letter, with the names of 112 physicians from across the state, points out that more than 54,000 Floridians have died from COVID-19 and another 3.5 million have been infected, many with lingering medical complications.
"To that end, we urge you to exercise your authority to ask questions of this nominee, given your role in confirming them, to clarify Dr. Ladapo’s commitment to the health and safety of all Floridians during the pandemic," the physicians state.
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State law requires the Senate confirm DeSantis' nominee forsurgeon general, but the doctor can start work sooner. His predecessor, Dr. Scott Rivkees, wasn't confirmed until he had been the state's top medical official for more than a year.
The site where the letter is posted is called The Action Network, whichdescribes itself as a platform for progressive causes. The Committee to Protect Health Care has more than 200 statements, letters and petitions on the site.
Efforts to reach otherdoctors whose names are listed were not successful Thursday.Other Gainesville physicians whose names are on the letter include Dr. James Berk, Dr. Lorent DuceandDr. Kaushik Hazariwala.
Among the questions the physicians want the Senate to poseto Ladapo is what evidence hecan show to support his opposition to mask mandates in schools despite recommendations for masks in the classroom by the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association.
They also ask whether Ladapo is linked to a group called American Frontline Doctors, which the physicians say has "extracted millions of dollars from tens of thousands ofAmericansbysellingivermectinandhydroxychloroquine,which are ineffective and even potentially dangerous treatments against COVID-19."
They also would like Ladapo to describe how he would reduce health inequities among groups with poor access to health care, what he would do differently than DeSantis has done to respond to the pandemic, and whether he believes natural immunity from people becoming infected with COVID-19 is preferable to protection from vaccines.
The physicians say they hope Ladapo "will join the physicians and health care professionals who continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe during this pandemic, and advocate fiercely for strategies that science and the overwhelming body of evidence show can protect and save lives."
