Nursing & Healthcare News
West Coast Health Alliance
ANA\C applauds western states’ challenge to federal antivaxx trend
California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii have joined forces to issue their own evidence-based vaccination recommendations, with the support of state nursing associations.
“Placing Lives at Risk”
Alarmed at the efforts of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to undermine federal vaccination initiatives — including his replacement of all the members of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) with “vaccine skeptics” — the governors of California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii have launched the West Coast Health Alliance.
This alliance will issue its own unified vaccination guidelines rather than relying on what state officials say are dangerously politicized federal recommendations.
“Vaccines are among the most powerful tools in modern medicine; they have indisputably saved millions of lives,” says Oregon Health Authority Director Sejal Hathi, M.D. “But when guidance about their use becomes inconsistent or politicized, it undermines public trust at precisely the moment we need it most.”
California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer Erica Pan, M.D., MPH, FIDSA, FAAP, adds, “The dismantling of public health and dismissal of experienced and respected health leaders and advisors, along with the lack of using science, data, and evidence to improve our nation’s health, are placing lives at risk.”
Evidence-Based Science
The alliance’s vaccination guidelines reflect the recommendations of professional organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In the past, the ACIP has taken those recommendations into account in drafting CDC immunization guidelines.
However, Washington State Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham warns that the CDC has opted to “abandon evidence-based recommendations in favor of ideology.”
Gov. Newsom has signed a bill that will require California health insurers to cover vaccinations recommended by the alliance.
Nursing Associations’ Joint Statement
The new alliance is supported by the American Nurses Association\California (ANA\C) and the state nursing associations of Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii.
“As nurses, our work is grounded in evidence-based practice and guided by a deep commitment to patient safety,” the associations said in a joint statement.
“This alliance offers an opportunity to restore confidence by ensuring that health policy and public health guidance reflect the best available evidence and clinical expertise.”
AARON SEVERSON is the associate editor of Working Nurse.
In this Article: ANA\C, California, Legislation and Public Policy, Vaccination
