Doctor Who Sat On COVID-19 Alt Medicine Panel Leaves Beebe

Dr. Adam Brownstein, pictured at Monday’s panel, parted ways with Beebe Healthcare Tuesday.

A Milford doctor who sat on a COVID-19 alternative medicine panel Monday night has parted ways with Beebe Healthcare and Beebe Medical Group.

The two events were not related, said Dr. Adam Brownstein, a family medicine physician.

He said his departure had been three months in the making because he wanted to start a private practice. It was just a coincidence that he left Beebe the night after he spoke in Newark at a panel organized by the Delaware Medical Freedom Association and Patriots of Delaware, he said.

Brownstein characterized the split as amicable and declined to say more.

At the panel Monday, Brownstein didn’t speak against vaccinations. He said no one should be forced to undergo a medical treatment.

“I am not pro-vax. I am not anti-vax. I am pro-choice,” Brownstein said.

“If you’re in a high risk group in a community with lots of COVID, then maybe the vaccine makes sense for you,” he said. “That’s for you to decide. On the other hand, if you live in rural Nebraska with your family on a farm, and y’all never leave the farm, probably the vaccine’s not gonna help a whole lot. Why? Your exposure-risk is zero.”

He also said, “If you have already had COVID, chances are the vaccine will not be terribly helpful.”

Brownstein cited recent studies out of Israel that he said are showing “roughly 82% of patients have continued immunity 10 months after their infection.”

Beebe spokesman Ryan Marshall contacted DelawareLive and asked for a correction in a story about Monday’s event to point out that Marshall no longer worked for Beebe as of Aug. 31.

“Dr. Brownstein’s personal opinions and views are his own, and he is not a spokesperson for Beebe Healthcare,” Marshall said in an emailed statement. “As a science-based health system, we firmly stand behind the science of the COVID vaccine and related safety measures, and their vital role in helping prevent serious illness and furthering our collective goal of ending the pandemic.

“Throughout this pandemic, Beebe has communicated factual information via town halls, social media, public testing and vaccination events, and with the media. We continue to say that wearing a mask, washing your hands, watching your distance, and getting vaccinated are the best ways to protect yourself, your family, and other community members from getting severely ill or dying from COVID-19.”

Brownstein’s practice is in Milton. He’s also an elected member of the Milford School District Board of Education.