Working for a safety net

In early December, Emma Freire spent a morning with a lawyer who represents clients seeking compensation for vaccine injuries. It’s a niche job that involves arguing against government lawyers in a special administrative court. In her story, “Collateral damage,” in this issue, Emma explains how the system works and why many people believe it’s failing those who suffered legitimate harm. I asked her what else she learned during her visit to Washington, D.C.

How did lawyer Renée Gentry get involved in vaccine injury litigation? She was working as an immigration lawyer on 9/11 and lost her job a few days later. So she took a temporary job at a vaccine injury law firm collecting medical records. She knew nothing about the field when she started, but ultimately stayed at that firm 19 years. When the law partner there retired, she struck out on her own.

Gentry’s work is often emotionally taxing. How does she handle that? She cares deeply about her clients, but she also needs time to decompress to remain effective as a lawyer. So, she has a policy of “no crying moms on Friday.” She said the mothers are very understanding. Still, there are some cases she can’t handle. Early in her career, she was assigned to cases involving infant deaths. Reading the autopsy reports was too difficult, and she asked her boss not to give her any more of those cases.

Even though she represents people who have injuries, Gentry is pro-­vaccine. How does that stance ­factor into her work? She believes a strong social safety net is a critical part of a public vaccination program. Injuries are rare, but they do happen. People need to be confident that, should it happen to them or their child, their financial needs will be met. Gentry fears that failure to help the injured with their medical bills will further inflame anti-vaccine sentiment.

Based on her clients’ experiences, Gentry has some advice on how to avoid vaccine injury. What is it? One of the most common types of injuries among her clients is a SIRVA injury. That stands for “shoulder injury related to vaccine administration.” It’s usually caused by a shot administered too high on the arm. When getting vaccinated, Gentry says to make sure the nurse is at the same level as you. If you’re seated, the nurse should be seated too. She recommends avoiding drive-thru vaccination clinics. She also suggests wearing a short-sleeved shirt to your vaccine appointment. If you have to pull your sweater down your shoulder, the needle might go in too high.