MIAMI (WSVN) - A University of Miami Health pediatrician was removed from her position on the Board of Directors for the Florida Healthy Kids program after she publicly criticized Florida’s decision to delay access to the COVID-19 vaccines for the state’s youngest patients..
Dr. Lisa Gwynn said she received an email on Wednesday afternoon from the office of Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis informing her she would be removed from her role on the board for making “some very political statements that do not reflect the CFO’s point of view.”
Gwynn took to Twitter to confirm the news.
Gwynn spoke about her dismissal with 7News on Friday.
“They said that I was going against the views of Jimmy Patronis and that the state everything in its power to do what’s best for the health of Florida’s children,” she said.
Gwynn’s removal comes months after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced that the state would not make COVID-19 vaccines available for children under 5 years old at local county health departments.
“This wasn’t a matter of opinion or reviews. This was just stating a fact of the consequences of the decision that was made by the surgeon general to not have local health departments carry the COVID vaccine for children under 5,” she said.
Florida pediatricians and parents criticized the state’s decision, which DeSantis argued was consistent with his administration’s position that vaccinating young children is “not appropriate.”
The position came as a shock to Gwynn, who had recently started her role on the board.
“I’ve been very collaborative. I attended my first meeting of the board in March, and I had just started my tenure, and it really came out of the blue,” she said.
A spokesperson for DeSantis released a statement regarding Gwynn’s removal. It reads, “A board member making public, false accusations about state policy runs the risk of jeopardizing the constructive working relationship between Florida Healthy Kids and the board and state agencies they work closely with, including [the Florida department of Health] and the [Agency for Health Care Administration].”
“They’re going against the recommendations of all pediatrics, infectious disease, every medical organization regarding vaccines for one of the most vulnerable populations,” said Gwynn, “so everybody can judge for themselves, but it sure looks political to me.”
The COVID-19 vaccine for that age group is now available at pharmacies, community health centers and children’s hospitals.
Gwynn, who is also the president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has pointed out the shot is still not available through county health departments, which is how many doctors have sought their supply.
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