Local Matters interview with Sarasota Memorial Hospital's Dr. Manuel Gordillo and Michael Harrington

On Wednesday, October 7, Local Matters host Joe Hendricks recorded an off-air interview Sarasota Memorial Hospital infectious disease expert Dr. Manuel Gordillo and Chief Operating Officer Michael Harrington. During the course of the interview that aired October 8 on "Local Matters," Dr. Gordillo and Mr. Harrington expressed their beliefs that the H1N1 vaccine poses no danger to those who receive the vaccination -- including women who are pregnant. Dr. Gordillo and Mr. Harrington also explained their views on the importance of hospital staff being vaccinated and also discussed the risks of not getting vaccinated. Similar views have been expressed by other members of the health community, including representatives of the Sarasota County Health Department (See the document below prepared by Sarasota County Health Department officials for WSLR). Sarasota Memorial Hospital has also engaged in a clean hands campaign. For more information, please visit www.cleanhandscampaign.org The October 8 Local Matters broadcast also featured a live interview with vaccine safety/autism researcher Dr. Mark Geier. Dr. Geier expressed his opinion that vaccines containing the preservative Thimerosol (which contains mercury) pose potential health risks -- approximately 60 percent of the H1N1 vaccinations will contain Thimerosol. Due to technical difficulties, Dr. Geier's interview was not recorded for podcasting purposes. WSLR has requested a follow-up interview with Dr. Geier in hopes of providing a podcast report that presents both sides of the H1N1 vaccine debate. Please check back for this interview at a later date... For more information on Dr. Geier and his theories on the relationship between mercury and autism, please visit www.mercury-freedrugs.org or www.asdcenters.com