When Louisiana Republican state Rep. Brach Myers stood on the House floor this past April to advocate for his bill to create a state surgeon general position, the questions were sparse, and the debate lasted only a few minutes.
The House approved the bill, which was strongly backed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, with zero opposition. In May, Landry signed the measure into law and Louisiana joined Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania in having an official state surgeon general or similar position.
Technically, the surgeon general and the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health will be co-leaders of the department, with the secretary serving as CEO, Landry said at a news conference, the Louisiana Illuminator reported. The governor will resolve any disputes between them.
But pandemic-era mask mandates and vaccination requirements have politicized public health like never before. Childhood vaccinations, once generally embraced as a public good, are being challenged in multiple states, including Louisiana.
[
Collection
]
[
|
...
]