Cleveland Clinic
In the release, Cosgrove reaffirmed the Clinic's stance on vaccinations and defended the Wellness Institute as a whole, which has unfairly come under fire by critics because of Neides's leadership role there. (The Clinic had previously announced that Neides will be disciplined.) Here's a representative snippet from Cosgrove's release. The whole thing can be read here.
Historically, healthcare has not done a good job of promoting disease prevention. Our Wellness Institute has built a framework to guide patients to healthier lifestyle choices. However, in a recent online column, the Wellness Institute’s medical director shared his personal views about vaccination – views that do not represent Cleveland Clinic in any way.
Vaccinations are a key component to preventing disease and maintaining a healthy society. There is no debating that; the research is clear. To say otherwise is irresponsible and runs counter to Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to evidence-based medicine.
Deadly, debilitating diseases like polio, smallpox and measles are no longer the threats they once were, thanks to vaccines. In fact, according to Healthy People 2020, routine childhood immunization (DTap, Td, Hib, Polio, MMR, Hep B, and varicella vaccines) saves 33,000 lives, prevents 14 million cases of disease, and reduces direct health care costs by $9.9 billion.
Harmful myths, untruths and junk science about vaccinations have been scientifically debunked.
