Dr. Smith Goes to Washington

Green Docs

In Episode #2 of Green Docs, “Dr. Smith Goes to Washington”, Bruce and Nate take a deep dive into the crucial role of physicians as advocates for health policy in an interview with Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an Ob/Gyn and recent candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly. They introduce advocacy with current headlines: from the rise in pregnancy-related deaths in the US, to a plan to close the wealth gap with “universal baby income”: a $1M savings account at birth. They even float the notion (pun alert) of dolphins as the new doulas.

Next, the guys introduce their interview with Dr. Kristin Lyerly with an under-the-radar connection between the climate crisis and women’s health, and reveal how a recent lobby day in Washington, DC was short-circuited by a surprise twist: silence. Lending her voice to the matter, Kristin gives a first-hand account of her experience as a doctor running for elected office, shares her sometimes-vicarious environmental work, and explains how she finds common ground advocating for her patients on sensitive and sometimes life-threatening scenarios in a conservative Midwest district.

Nate and Bruce close with suggestions for what we can all do to help ensure our representatives will listen, learn, and work towards better health policies for all. Their next episode will take you back to 1970 and the first Earth Day and how it truly changed our world for the better. Grab your tie-dye, flash a peace sign, and join us on April 22nd for Episode 3 of Green Docs.

Episode 2 Links:

Maternal mortality rates worst since 1965, COVID made them even worse https://www.wsj.com/articles/women-maternal-mortality-death-rate-what-to-know-1720cfd8

Give all babies in the US $1M https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok/video/7212663553105382662?_r=1&_t=8aoIEoxKfkI

Is a dolphin your next Doula? https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/whats-a-dolphin-assisted-birth-and-could-it-be-the-best-option-for-your-baby

“Fertility and Income” by T. Paul Shultz, Yale Economic Growth Center https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=838227

“The Myth of 9 Billion” by Malcolm Potts and Martha Campbell, Foreign Policy https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/05/09/the-myth-of-9-billion/#!

“World Population to Reach 10 Billion by 2100 If Fertility in All Countries Converges to Replacement Level”, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3991444/

Strategies for electing better representatives https://www.indivisible.org/

Register to vote anywhere in the U.S. https://www.vote.org/register-to-vote/