Maryland and 14 other states led by Democrats are forming their own public health alliance after concerns over the Trump Administration’s Health and Human Services Department vaccine recommendations and other health safeguards.
The alliance brings together smaller coalitions of states that have already decided to make their own health policy decisions, policies and standards that are more stringent than the federal benchmarks.
The Governor's Public Health Alliance will build emergency preparedness and react to health threats by sharing data and expertise.
The states will make their own recommendations about vaccines and share best practices.
The coalition brings together, Maryland, New York, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, Guam, New Jersey, California, Colorado, Illinois, Rhode Island and North Carolina.
“At a time when the federal government is telling the states, ‘You’re on your own,’ I’m proud to join other governors across the nation in the Governor's Public Health Alliance,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a social media post. “In Maryland, we believe that everyone should have access to affordable, effective health care. We will leave no Marylander behind.”
The announcement comes as the White House is making unprecedented staffing cuts to HHS.
Many professional medical societies have also expressed concern about looser federal vaccine standards, which have made it harder for some people to get shots.
Earlier this month, six former surgeons general wrote an op-ed stating that HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.’s policies pose a threat to the nation by spreading misinformation.
“Under Kennedy’s leadership, the HHS workforce has been badly damaged. He has silenced and sidelined hundreds of scientists, public health officials and medical professionals, creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust,” they wrote. “Many of the nation’s top public health professionals — people we have worked with during crises — have resigned or retired early. They describe a culture of intimidation, where scientific findings are censored, evidence is disregarded and career officials are pressured to rubber stamp conclusions that are not backed by science.”
Maryland previously joined the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, which brought together nine states to form their own health policies.
The Governor's Public Health Alliance is a larger iteration, bringing together a west coast alliance as well.
