Maryland is joining eight other states in building a public health coalition to issue vaccine recommendations and coordinate efforts.

The Northeast Public Health Collaborative will act as a bulwark against what they perceive as a loosening of public health standards on a federal level that are endangering citizens.

Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine are all banding together much like four states in the West — Oregon, Washington, California and Hawaii — are working together to make their own public health guidelines.

“Everyone benefits when we work together,” said New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. “I am excited about this collaborative; we all share the same goal of achieving health and well-being for our people. New York is proud to be part of the Northeast Public Health Collaborative. By working together, we are creating a more adaptable, sustainable and resilient public health system for our state and the region.”

The organization has already made recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine, stating that all children above six months should be vaccinated, along with high-risk adults and people over 65.

The coalition comes as the Trump administration is implementing its Make America Healthy Again policy, which has made cuts to Department of Health and Human Services staff and Congress voted to shrink who is eligible for Medicaid.

In May, the Trump administration announced it would stop routinely approving COVID vaccines for healthy people under 65, a move that flies in the face of recommendations from the nation’s top professional medical societies.

Additionally, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently voted against recommending a combined measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccine for children under four.