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Pennsylvania is joining a new public health collaborative with eight other states and New York City in response to recent changes in federal health policy.
The voluntary group, which is being called the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, will work to share expertise and improve coordination on public health issues.
The move follows similar regional efforts by California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
The Northeast Public Health Collaborative includes Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
With the exception of Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, who is a Republican, all of the jurisdictions in the collaborative are led by Democrats.
In a statement, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the collaborative will “share expertise, improve coordination, enhance capacity, strengthen regional readiness, and promote and protect evidence-based public health.”
The group’s formation follows controversial health and vaccine policy changes at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who previously ran for president as a Democrat and intendent and has faced criticism for his years of anti-vaccine statements and misinformation.
The states that are part of the collective have already issued COVID-19 vaccine guidance that differs from CDC guidelines, which health officials said strayed from recommendations by medical professional organizations.
“Protecting public health has always been a collaborative effort and that joint work has never been more important,” said Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen. “Continuing to work with public health experts in other states allows us to exchange best practices, pursue improvements and efficiencies, and explore opportunities to better meet the needs of Pennsylvanians.”
State health officials said the states and New York City have similar public health objectives, but each jurisdiction will be allowed to tailor or not use certain initiatives based on their local laws, regulations, demographics, and community input.
New Jersey Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown said the collaborative is a “natural synergy” due to the “interconnectedness of our populations and shared health challenges.”
Officials noted the group will work together on major events, including FIFA World Cup matches being hosted in the region.
The states’ health departments had already been working together informally for several months and held an in-person meeting last month in Rhode Island.
“Pathogens know no borders,” said Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani. “Particularly in the northeast, people cross borders daily for work and school. In a time of significant change in public health, we have benefited from the enhanced collaborations between our jurisdictions.”
The creation of the group comes amid a rise in vaccine hesitancy across the country.
“HHS will ensure policy is based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic,” Andrew Nixon, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson, told the New Hampshire Bulletin on news of the collaborative forming.
In June, Kennedy issued a statement that his agency is working to put the “restoration of public trust above any pro- or antivaccine agenda.”
In Pennsylvania, vaccination rates for kindergarteners have fallen from the high 90s to the mid- to low-90s over the last five years, according to recent CDC data.
Florida, which is led by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, recently announced it would end mandatory vaccinations, but the state’s health department later clarified that a number of vaccines would remain mandatory, according to Yahoo News.
