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| robin_armstrong [2021/12/15 08:03] mathew | robin_armstrong [2021/12/15 08:05] (current) mathew added controversy | ||
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| ===== Leadership During the COVID-19 Pandemic ===== | ===== Leadership During the COVID-19 Pandemic ===== | ||
| During the first [[COVID-19]] wave in the U.S., Dr. Armstrong helped care for [[nursing home]] staff through a combination of testing and treatment using [[hydroxychloroquine]], | During the first [[COVID-19]] wave in the U.S., Dr. Armstrong helped care for [[nursing home]] staff through a combination of testing and treatment using [[hydroxychloroquine]], | ||
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| + | ==== Controversy ==== | ||
| + | From [[https:// | ||
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| + | In late July, in a letter to Abbott and other state officials, Hall asked Abbott to encourage the Texas Medical Board and Texas Pharmacy Board to give more latitude to doctors in using hydroxychloroquine. | ||
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| + | The letter singled out Armstrong as someone being unfairly investigated by the Medical Board. | ||
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| + | In an interview, Armstrong declined to disclose correspondence with the medical board, which he said was confidential. | ||
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| + | But he said the medical board is “not being punitive to physicians at all. It’s just a bureaucratic structure that forces them down this road.” | ||
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| + | He said he has received criticism in the media, “partly out of ignorance, partly because it’s political” — Armstrong serves on the Republican National Committee. | ||
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| + | Hall sent the letter to Abbott on July 31, the same day the Medical Board issued a statement that said “while there are drugs and therapies being used to treat COVID-19, there is no definitive cure at this time.” | ||
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| + | The statement continued: “Both patients and physicians have a right to decide what treatment may be used for COVID-19. The Board does not issue endorsements of the use of any specific drugs or treatments for COVID-19, but any treatment decision must be made with full, proper and accurate disclosure by a physician.” | ||
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| + | Medical Board spokesman Jarrett Schneider said the board sends letters to physicians if it has received a written complaint and has information that indicates a physician might be in violation of state law. | ||
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| + | “The letters are not an attempt to intimidate or harass but to ensure compliance with state statutes and board rules,” he said. | ||
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| + | The board cannot confirm complaints received or investigations as they are statutorily confidential. | ||
| ===== Politics ===== | ===== Politics ===== | ||