On September 2, the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) announced that the defendants in Washington State Medical Association et al. v. Kennedy et al., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have agreed to restore webpages and data that were deleted. The data sources were unlawfully taken down earlier this year.
“In May, a group of nine medical organizations and public health nonprofits sued the federal government to stop the deletion of vital public health and science data,” the press release stated.
"This was trusted health information that vanished in a blink of an eye, resources that, among other things, physicians rely on to manage patients' health conditions and overall care," Dr. Bramhall, MD, PhD, president of the WSMA, said in a statement. "Not only was our ability to provide care for our patients compromised, but our trust in our federal health institutions has also been badly shaken. As the leading voice for physicians in Washington state, the WSMA engaged in this legal effort to resist interference into the physician-patient relationship and to show patients and communities that regardless of the whims of governments or politics, physicians are committed to providing accurate, evidence-based care to patients and we will fight any intrusion into our ability to do so."
Healthcare Innovation previously discussed the importance of the case with Dr. Aaron Carroll, president and CEO of AcademyHealth, who said, “It's not just about data. It's about the health and safety of millions of Americans who depend on transparent and timely information to advocate for resources and make informed choices.”
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit included the Washington State Medical Association, the Washington State Nurses Association, the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, the Fast-Track Cities Institute, the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, the National LGBT Cancer Network, AcademyHealth, and the Vermont Medical Society.
The Defendants included the HHS, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as well as leaders from the CDC, NIH, FDA, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
The affected websites and resources identified by WSMA can be viewed here.
