“Why Grandparents Must Lead on Vaccines,” a recently published Op Ed by Donna Gaffney and Teri Mills—known as The Op Ed Nurses and both proud grandparents—is part of a wider movement: nurses across the country are advocating for public health and vaccine confidence by sharing their stories in Op Eds published nationwide. Donna and Teri’s relentless commitment is helping to change the narrative within schools, families, and communities, reminding us that silence is not an option.
School nurses witness how prevention transforms lives—and what’s lost when prevention is neglected. That’s why I’m inspired by an urgent, often-overlooked voice in public health: grandparents. There are more than 67 million grandparents across the U.S., whose memories of polio wards, measles outbreaks, and community suffering grant them a moral imperative to speak out that today’s families urgently need. I include myself in this number, as my precious granddaughter, Nora, will be turning two in the fall.
Consider joining Grandparents for Vaccines—a grassroots, nonpartisan movement—mobilizing seniors to protect all children through advocacy, storytelling, and action. Their lived experience gives them unmatched credibility to cut through misinformation and remind us what’s at stake: outbreaks, pain, and preventable loss. Learn more and get involved with their work here: Grandparents for Vaccines.
Grandparents and school nurses are natural allies. We share a mission: safeguarding children before crisis strikes. Grandparents offer perspective and fierce love; school nurses bring vigilance, science, and firsthand understanding of what happens when kids are left unprotected. United, our voices form a coalition rooted in experience, bound by compassion, and driven by action.
The health of future generations relies on what we do now. As grandparents, school nurses, and communities, we must stand up for vaccines—for prevention—for children. The future is watching, and it deserves nothing less.
Read the full OpEd in The Charlotte Observer here: Why grandparents must lead on vaccines.
This blog post cannot conclude without acknowledging the delayed and/or lack of care for black children during the height of segregation amid the polio outbreak. Learn more about the Tuskegee University Infantile Paralysis Center.
Untold story about Black children who had polio and were treated – Tuskegee University’s critical role in treating Black children with polio and the first vaccine at the height of segregation.
African Americans, Polio, and Racial Segregation Written By Daniel J. Wilson, PhD 12-31-19
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Thank you Robin. We are obligated to defend the health and safety of our children. Grandparents for Vaccines has the power to change the conversation. Join us!