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Aren’t you glad you don’t live in Vermont and patronizing Walgreens and need a Rx filled ?
Posted on February 22, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
BREAKING: 38,000+ TRUCKERS HEADING TO DC FOR BIDEN’S SOTU ADDRESS
Posted on February 22, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
This could be interesting, it is not clear if a FENCE has been put up around the capital or there is just talks of doing it. – Apparently Congress believes that fences can be important… of course, the White House already has a fence around it. It will be interesting if Biden, Nancy & Chuckie use Canada’s PM Trudeau”s actions over the Truckers’ 3 week protest over mandatory vaccination – confiscating their trucks, confiscating their bank accounts and filing criminal charges against most/all involved. Even sending cops around to “talk to” anyone in the country who had contributed money to help the truckers. Apparently there are 10 Providences in Canada and FOUR have rescinded the vaccine mandates https://www.westernjournal.com/truckers-win-trudeau-loses-4-canadian-provinces-roll-back-covid-mandates-freedom-convoy/ What has yet to be seen, is this administration going to use Trudeau’s actions as a template as to how we respond to a similar protest?
The chronic pain community needs to pay attention, of all the protests over the last couple of years, as I remember, the largest showing was some 80 odd people… Did any of those protests produce any positive change?
BREAKING: 38,000+ TRUCKERS HEADING TO DC FOR BIDEN’S SOTU ADDRESS
A massive Freedom Convoy of truckers is heading from Los Angeles to the nation’s capital in time for President Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1, Breitbart reports.
Kyle Sefcik, the organizer of the Freedom Convoy USA 2022, said they want to send a message to the president.
“We want to be there for that and tell the president we’re here,” Sefcik told WUSA.
“This doesn’t even need to happen,” he added. “If the president said, ‘Mandates are over and the state of emergency is over. Let’s get back to the world and let’s do our thing,’ then we’re not even coming.”
So far, around 38,000 people have signed up fro the convoy.
And, despite authorities in Washington, D.C. putting a fence up around the Capitol, the organizer said they aren’t planning to go there.
“The United States Capitol Police and the United States Secret Service have been closely working together to plan for the upcoming State of the Union,” the Capitol Police said in a statement. “The temporary inner-perimeter fence is part of those ongoing discussions and remains an option, however at this time no decision has been made.”
Instead, he said trucks and motorcycles will head to the White House near the National Mall while Christian bands and pastors speak near the Washington Monument.
“We have to get the attention in the most peaceful way and this is our way of doing it,” Sefcik explained. “Do we want to stop businesses from being able to be open and people being able to get to work and school? No. We don’t want to cause this at all which is why we’re telling the president ahead of time to end this now. We don’t even have to come.”
Bob Bolus, a trucking company owner in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is also organizing a convoy headed to D.C.
“We will be along the Beltway where the Beltway will be shut down,” Bob Bolus told Fox 5 DC. “I’ll give you an analogy of that of a giant boa constrictor. That basically squeezes you, chokes you and it swallows you, and that’s what we’re going to do to D.C.”
He added, “There will be a lane open for emergency vehicles, they’ll be able to get in and out and all that. We will not compromise anybody’s safety or health, one way or the other. As far as if they can’t get to work, geez that’s too bad.”
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when it comes to health care – apparently some chain pharmacies’ focus is on $$$ in their coffers
Posted on February 22, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
Note: This person works for one of the major chains.Would you please post this anonymously? Thank you!
Some pharmacists from my company have been told to run the free Covid tests for separate rxs – example, if you are giving the patient 4 tests, you run 4 rxs for 1 test each instead of 1 rx for 4 tests.
Wouldn’t that be fraud? If there is a dispensing fee per rx, we would get 4 dispensing fees.
Anyone have any info on this?
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Dr. Saphier: CDC has done a ‘disservice’ to Americans- when does withholding, lying becomes CRIMINAL ?
Posted on February 22, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
Fox News medical contributor slams agency for allegedly withholding COVID-19 data
https://www.foxnews.com/media/cdc-coronavirus-americans-medical-nicole-saphier
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier told “America Reports” Tuesday a full investigation is needed into allegations the CDC withheld large portions of critical COVID-19 data from the public.
CDC DIRECTOR WALENSKY ON DROPPING COVID RESTRICTIONS: ‘WE’RE NOT QUITE THERE YET’
NICOLE SAPHIER: If you look across the globe, there is a reason why it is not so black and white in other countries because they’re looking at the big picture, especially when it comes to natural immunity — the true risk of COVID-19 in children, as well as boosters for young, healthy adults and children. Unfortunately, the CDC has done a disservice, in my opinion, to the American people. I think a full investigation should be launched into this, and at this point, we need to make sure that there is full transparency so that the private sector can accurately and adequately analyze the data, because the CDC is not a leader when it comes to public health.
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FDA Eyes Second Covid-19 Booster Shot – more LIES from the alphabetic fed soup
Posted on February 22, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
As more and more evidence comes to light that the CDC is the keeper of TRUTHS and the spreader of LIES … Last night I made this post CDC: SOP of misrepresenting the facts that they publish/release Notice that the FDA is pushing the two mRNA versions of the COVID-19 vaccine, J&J has stopped the production of their vaccine, but has millions of doses sitting on their shelves and could start production back up. I find it curious as to why “they” are pushing the two mRNA versions of the vaccines… the mRNA process that is so NEW and so UNTESTED that if that had been the only option, I would have passed on getting a COVID-19 vaccination. At least the J&J vaccine was produced using the same process that we have used for decades for making our flu vaccines. The USA population has been involved in the LARGEST CLINICAL TRIAL with little/no control group and reportedly many/most/all of the serious adverse reactions – some of them lethal – have been not disclosed and/or buried.
Don’t forget all those who have claimed that those CLOTH MASKS do not work – like using a chain link fence to keep mosquitoes out… and yet many state/federal politician/bureaucrats mandate that masks be worn, even those over TWO YEARS OLD. If you notice, many states are now dropping mandatory masks because the mid-term primary will be starting next month. There will be more of our LIBERTIES that they will start GIVING BACK in the near term.
https://news.yahoo.com/u-fda-considers-approving-second-155455656.html
(Reuters) -U.S. health regulators are looking at authorizing a potential fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the fall, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing data to authorize a second booster dose of the messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE and vaccines from Moderna Inc, the report added.
The FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The agency last month cut the interval to get a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech as well as from Moderna, in a bid to provide better protection sooner against the Omicron variant.
The planning is still in early stages, and authorization would depend on determinations as to whether the second booster should be authorized for all adults or particular age groups, and whether it should target the Omicron variant or be formulated differently, the report said.
It added that no decision was final and that it could be necessary to make booster shots available earlier if a new variant appears.
The United States reported 2,323 COVID-19 deaths on Friday, bringing the total count to 936,523.
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CDC: SOP of misrepresenting the facts that they publish/release
Posted on February 21, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
The New York Times Makes A Stunning Admission About CDC Data On Vaccines
The New York Times made an eye-popping admission on Sunday regarding data collected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Covid-19 vaccines.
In an article titled, “The C.D.C. Isn’t Publishing Large Portions of the Covid Data It Collects,” reporter Apoorva Mandavilli writes: “For more than a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected data on hospitalizations for Covid-19 in the United States and broken it down by age, race and vaccination status. But it has not made most of the information public.”
Mandavilli, who covers science and global health for the Times, reported that the agency has published “only a tiny fraction of the data it has collected” since the pandemic began, including data on booster efficacy for 18 – 49 year-olds, a tremendous chunk of the U.S. population.
Reasons listed include bureaucracy, sample size, and not being “ready for prime time,” but one that’s definitely set to raise lots of eyebrows is the claim that the data could be “misinterpreted” by Covid vaccine skeptics.
Last year, the agency repeatedly came under fire for not tracking so-called breakthrough infections in vaccinated Americans, and focusing only on individuals who became ill enough to be hospitalized or die. The agency presented that information as risk comparisons with unvaccinated adults, rather than provide timely snapshots of hospitalized patients stratified by age, sex, race and vaccination status.
But the C.D.C. has been routinely collecting information since the Covid vaccines were first rolled out last year, according to a federal official familiar with the effort. The agency has been reluctant to make those figures public, the official said, because they might be misinterpreted as the vaccines being ineffective.
Instead, health experts have been forced to rely on data from Israel and elsewhere to make decisions, the Times reported.
Once again, the CDC has been caught not telling/sharing all the facts that they are required to collect and make some seen as all of that raw data. We have seen it with various drug OD and mislead that often suggests that ALL DRUG OD’s have involved opiates and suggest that they are pharma Rx opiates… This article seems that the data regarding the impact on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines … apparently reporting most of the “good” and little of the “bad” Does this suggest that CDC has a propensity to misstate the truth… it is ONCE A LIAR…. ALWAYS A LIAR.
this seems to be related to the previous post I made tonight concerning the CDC and their use of a questionable use of MME’s that it self has questionable quality of being of worthwhile quality … https://www.pharmaciststeve.com/everything-everyone-has-a-achilles-heel-or-a-weak-link/
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Everything & Everyone has a “Achilles’ heel” or a “weak link “
Posted on February 21, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
All the alphabetic federal entities that are coming after the chronic pain community… Backin the mid-80s – thru mid90’s our community pharmacy did a fair number of opiate IV on end stage cancer pts at home. What is now known as MME’s were around, but I don’t remember them being referred to a MME, but everyone knew that they were not workable – black & white conversions. Back then, there was no computer to calculate them for you…
‘back in the day” the rule of thumb rotating a pt from one opiate to another… was take the mgs using the opiate conversion answer and CUT IT IN HALF and then titrate the pts meds up or down to optimize their pain management..
The entire CDC guidelines and just about anything dealing with pain management is built on the FOUNDATION OF MME’s.
To the best of my knowledge, the MME’s were determined by naive people with mechanically induced pain (heat or cold) and given a SINGLE DOSE of a particular opiate. This was before our DNA had been mapped and years before the liver CYP-450 was even “discovered” and no one could even believe to create a accurate MME’s without knowing the pt’s CYP-450 liver enzyme metabolism rate and those didn’t come around until the late 90’s or early 2000’s.
Here is one of those MME conversion program that use as a reference on occasion https://globalrph.com/medcalcs/opioid-pain-management-converter-advanced/ and here are the footnotes on this same program:
-
- Published equianalgesic ratios are considered crude estimates at best and therefore it is imperative that careful consideration is given to individualizing the dose of the selected opioid. Dosage titration of the new opioid should be completed slowly and with frequent monitoring.
- Conversion ratios in many equianalgesic dosing tables do not apply to repeated doses of opioids.
- The amount of residual drug in the patient’s system must be accounted for. Example: fentanyl will continue to be released from the skin 12 to 36 hours after removal of the patch. Residual effects from discontinued long-acting formulations should also be assessed before converting a patient to a new opioid.
- Review the concept of incomplete cross-tolerance: D. McAuley: “Incomplete cross-tolerance relates to tolerance to a currently administered opiate that does not extend completely to other opioids. This will tend to lower the required dose of the second opioid. This incomplete cross-tolerance exists between all of the opioids and the estimated difference between any two opiates could vary widely. This points out the inherent dangers of using an equianalgesic table and the importance of viewing the tabulated data as approximations. Many experts recommend – depending on age and prior side effects – reducing the dose of the new opiate by 33 to 50 percent to account for this incomplete cross-tolerance. (Example: a patient is receiving 200mg of oral morphine daily (chronic dosing), however, because of side effects a switch is made to oral hydromorphone 25 – 35mg daily – (this represents a 33 to 50 percent reduction in dose compared to the calculated 50mg conversion dose produced via the equianalgesic calculator). This new regimen can then be re-titrated to patient response. In all cases, repeated comprehensive assessments of pain are necessary in order to successfully control the pain while minimizing side-effects.”
5. The use of high but ineffective doses of a previous opioid may result in overestimation of the converted opioid.
6. Ideally, methadone conversions (especially patients who were previously receiving high doses of an opioid) should only be attempted in cooperation with a pain specialist or a specialist in palliative medicine.
The authors make no claims of the accuracy of the information contained herein; and these suggested doses and/or guidelines are not a substitute for clinical judgment. Neither GlobalRPh Inc. nor any other party involved in the preparation of this document shall be liable for any special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting in whole or part from any user’s use of or reliance upon this material. PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THIS SITE. BY ACCESSING OR USING THIS SITE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN THE DISCLAIMER.
I have tried to find some information about the person(s) or studies behind the MME’s concept, but have come up empty handed. What would happen if the community could raise some money and challenge the CDC in court to produce the documentation of the studies behind the MME conversion ratios? Might be able to get it with a simple FOIA ( Freedom of Information Act) request.
What would happen if the CDC could not produce a quality study to support the conversion ratios in all of opiates that they have used in the 2016 guidelines and the proposed 2022 guidelines. Could the validity of those very guidelines be put in jeopardy. Could the CDC be forced to rescind those guidelines.. Could that also mean that any other rules/regulations/policies and procedures would have to be made null & void.. until someone did a good quality study to develop workable MME conversions.
Could all those docs who have been put in prison for prescribing above a certain MME that the DEA considers above a certain limit and considers being without valid medical necessity be appealed and most likely overturned and they could be set free?
I am only posting this here on my blog, feel free to share…. just don’t try to share a hyperlink to anywhere on FAKE BOOK… they have labeled my blog as a SPAMMER.
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UPDATE: It would seem that I am becoming part of a group of very highly visible people… being banned from FAKE BOOK, now having a YOU TUBE video banned
Posted on February 21, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
Hi Pharmacist Steve,
We have reviewed your appeal for the following content:
Video: Prescriber induced SUICIDE
We reviewed your content carefully, and have confirmed that it violates our Community Guidelines. We know this is probably disappointing news, but it’s our job to make sure that YouTube is a safe place for all.
How this affects your channel
We won’t be putting your content back up on YouTube.
Our goal is to help you succeed on YouTube. Please take a look at our Community Guidelines, and keep them in mind when posting content in the future.
Sincerely,
The YouTube Team
It took them 5 weeks to find my video… and only took them TWELVE HOURS to come to their FINAL REVIEW/OPINION.
I am getting tired of all these dip-shits on these website and within many of the groups… I just discovered a group that I am one of the ADMINISTRATORS on where TWO OF THE MEMBERS ON THE PAGE – BLOCKED ME… that is against the page’s rules. They are no longer members of that group.
I feel sorry for those in the chronic pain community… the entire community – IMO – is pretty much circling the drain.
It would seem that I am becoming part of a group of very highly visible people… being banned from FAKE BOOK, now having a YOU TUBE video banned… being banned from Twitter can’t be far behind, President Donald Trump’s new social website is suppose to start up tomorrow (02/21/2022) https://www.truthsocial.com/ I am perplexed and sadden that both the chronic pain community and our entire society as a whole, has divided into so many “tribes”, and even within the tribes there is sniping and back stabbing. Even within the chronic pain community certain tribes appears to be willing to do anything necessary, if they perceive that another tribe is on a “higher hill” or under a “brighter spotlight”.
I am going to keep posting on my blog for the time being, other venues not so much or any at all. OR am I just wasting my time, trying to assist the chronic pain community ?
About 5 weeks ago I posted this video , and I even included links to the two financial settlements in the post… I also shared this post on you tube. In watching the video I created, I stated that I did not support or encourage suicide and I did make reference to the two settlements back to my blog. I filed a response to their removing my video – at least – unlike FAKE BOOK … there was actually a place to type in up to 800 words. I doubt that I will get a response, nor the video restored..
I also went to http://www.google.com and did a search on the word SUICIDE and got 20+ pages with 10 entries on each page… I don’t normally use google for a search engine, I use http://www.duckduckgo.com because they are suppose to keep your searches private. This is just a little more from those “little boys” in/around Silicon Valley… that all too many of us have given them this power to decide what we can see and what we can’t see and what/how we are suppose to think.
Two days ago I got this email from YOU TUBE:
Hi Pharmacist Steve,
We have reviewed your content and determined that it may not be suitable for viewers under the age of 18, per our Community Guidelines. As a result, we’ve age-restricted the following content:
Video: Prescriber induced SUICIDE
We haven’t applied a strike to your channel, and your content is still live for some users on YouTube. Keep reading for more details on what this means and steps you can take if you’d like to appeal this decision.
Today I got this email from YOU TUBE
Hi Pharmacist Steve,
We wanted to let you know our team reviewed your content, and we think it violates our Community Guidelines. We know you may not have realized this was a violation of our policies, so we’re not applying a strike to your channel. However, we have removed the following content from YouTube:
Video: Prescriber induced SUICIDE
We realize this may be disappointing news, but it’s our job to make sure that YouTube is a safe place for all. If you think we’ve made a mistake, you can appeal this decision – you’ll find more details below.
What our policy says
YouTube does not allow content that contains mature or violent themes where there is a clear intent to target younger minors and families. Family content must not contain adult and age-inappropriate themes such as violence, sex, death, drugs etc
So I did a search on YOU TUBE for just the word SUICIDE, and countless number of videos came up – if you don’t believe me – go check for yourself – here is two in particular that I found Interesting. A “machine” that someone can use to commit suicide and then the enclosure can be used as a COFFIN !
https://youtu.be/vGAYsZPRJhc
I guess that producing a video that involves someone in the medical profession and the pt committing suicide if UNACCEPTABLE to YOU TUBE… but selling equipment for sale that will help a pt commit suicide …. it JUST FINE WITH THEM…. as a side issue… YOU TUBE is OWNED by GOOGLE
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FDA Executive Officer Exposes Close Ties Between Agency and Pharmaceutical Companies
Posted on February 19, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
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the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act
Posted on February 19, 2022 by Pharmaciststeve
Ever since her son Alec Smith died in 2017, after rationing his insulin because he couldn’t afford the $1,300 monthly cost, Nicole Smith-Holt has talked to thousands of people about how the tragedy happened.
“I never get tired of telling Alec’s story,” she said. “It steals a little piece of my heart every time I do it, but it is important for people to know that his death was absolutely preventable. He should be with us today. I will continue to share his story until we get this fixed and it never happens again.”
Just a few months after Alec’s death at age 26, Smith-Holt launched a campaign to make it easier for people with diabetes to access insulin even if they, like Alec, are uninsured or otherwise can’t afford the cost of their medication. In 2020, thanks in large part to Smith-Holt’s advocacy, the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act was signed by Gov. Tim Walz. The law guarantees one-time emergency or ongoing supplies of insulin for Minnesota residents who cannot afford the cost of the drug, and it was the first such legislation passed in the United States.
MinnPost photo by Peter Callaghan
Nicole Smith-Holt and James Holt, Jr. speaking during a 2018 roundtable discussion sponsored by state Sen. Matt Little. A picture of their son, Alec Smith, is on the dais.
While many Minnesotans have taken advantage of the new program, known as the Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Program, there are still many others who are eligible for the benefit but who haven’t heard about it. Now, a new video is trying to address the situation: The “Alec Smith Story,” produced by MNsure, the state’s health insurance marketplace, features Smith-Holt retelling her son’s story and explaining the program and how eligible Minnesotans can sign up.
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Smith-Holt said she decided to get involved in promoting the program after she began hearing from people who said they or their family members were still struggling to afford their insulin, even after the bill was signed into law.
“I had been contacted a lot through social media from people wanting help,” Smith-Holt said. “I was seeing posts on Facebook from people saying they didn’t know this program existed.” She’d also heard from people who’d gone to pharmacies asking for emergency insulin but were turned away.
Frustrated by what she was hearing, Smith-Holt met with the state legislators who’d spearheaded the act as well as representatives from MNsure, the state agency charged with managing public awareness about the Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Program. The group brainstormed ways to get the word out about the program, eventually deciding on the video, because they felt that the finished product could easily be distributed through social media.
“We really wanted to use it as an educational tool for both diabetics and for pharmacists and other health care professionals,” Smith-Holt said. “Hopefully we could also make more nurses and doctors and care providers aware that this program existed.”
Libby Caulum, MNsure senior director of public affairs, said that Smith-Holt’s participation has been key to the program’s success. “There is not a better spokesperson for this than Nicole,” she said. “Her activism and her dedication to making sure this doesn’t happen to other people is the impetus for the law.”
Libby Caulum
The program does not have a big enough budget to afford large-scale ad buys, so organizers are hoping the video will spread organically, through “grassroots” social-media shares. Because Smith-Holt has been willing to step forward and become a symbol of the insulin-affordability issue, people are interested in listening to what she has to say, Caulum said.
“My perspective is the more we can get people to know about the program the better,” she said. “There are so many people who are facing these kind of life-or-death situations who do not realize that there is help out there. The more people who know the better.”
How the program works
There are two parts to Minnesota’s insulin affordability program. First, there is the “urgent need” program where eligible Minnesotans can receive a once-per-year 30-day supply of insulin immediately at their pharmacy for no more than a $35 co-pay. An individual who meets the program’s eligibility standards — someone who isn’t enrolled in Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare, has proof of state residency and a current prescription for insulin with less than a seven-day supply on hand — can walk into a commercial pharmacy and request a supply.
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Most pharmacists in the state are required to participate in the program, said Cody Wiberg, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy. One key element is that the law allows pharmacists to hand out the emergency supply without completing extra paperwork. “The pharmacy is not responsible for checking the income and the employment status and the insurance status,” Wiberg said.
While insulin manufacturers all offer prescription assistance programs designed to help low-income or uninsured individuals afford medications, he said that applying for those programs can be a cumbersome process.
Cody Wiberg
“One of the criticisms of manufacturers is they could take a week or longer to process an application for one of these programs while the person in need went without insulin,” Wiberg said. “Now, manufacturers are required to pay for a one-month supply.”
The free month-long supply of insulin is designed to give individuals time to confirm their eligibility for manufacturers’ programs, to purchase health insurance or to sign up for medical assistance.
“That month is supposed to give them at least some time,” Wiberg said. “If they do apply for one of those programs and they haven’t heard back by the end of the month, they can get a second 30-day supply.”
The second part of the program is the “Continuing Need” program, where MNsure health insurance navigators help eligible participants sign up for insulin manufacturers’ affordability programs. Approved participants can qualify for a year’s supply of insulin for no more than $50 for a 90-day refill.
At first, Smith-Holt and other advocates were concerned about building a program based on insulin manufacturers’ existing affordability programs, because the manufacturers had written disclaimers into their programs that they could end the programs at any time, Wiberg said. “There were stories of people who should’ve been eligible for these programs but who weren’t enrolled properly and didn’t get their insulin.”
In the end, the law was written to allay the concerns of advocates, Wiberg explained. “The law now tells insulin manufacturers that as a condition to receive a license from the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy they have to set up a patient-assistance program that has urgent need and continuing need components, you will follow the state’s criteria, you will set it up and you have responsibilities to patients in order to make sure that patients can access insulin in an emergency.”
‘Not one more’
While Alec Smith’s death of diabetic ketoacidosis — a potentially fatal complication of diabetes that occurs when a person’s body produces high levels of blood acids after being deprived of insulin — was preventable, his decision to ration his insulin wasn’t uncommon.
“It’s a pretty common thing for folks to do,” Caulum said, and “Nicole’s whole purpose in pushing this law is to make sure that no one in Minnesota gets to the point where they feel that their only option is to ration.”
Smith-Holt said Alec had decided to ration until he found a job with health benefits. He’d been diagnosed with Type I diabetes just two years before his death, and though he was doing a good job of living with his disease, he was “still pretty new at trying to learn how to manage it,” and didn’t fully understand rationing’s potentially deadly toll.
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While deaths due to insulin rationing don’t happen every day in Minnesota, they still do happen, Wiberg said, and he and his pharmacy colleagues hope that legislation will make them even more rare. “Even one death is too many,” he said.
Smith-Holt said that she hopes that social media users will forward “Alec Smith Story” far and wide, further spreading the news that Minnesotans with diabetes no longer have to ration their insulin.
“We’ve been doing what we can with our limited budget for this program’s public awareness,” she said. “Reaching people through social media has been pretty successful so far, but we know there is more we can do. One of the things I can do is tell his story and explain why this is so important, so I’m doing that.
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