Northeastern States Form Bloc to Issue Vaccine Guidance Independent of Federal Government

Strategic Insights -

Health officials from 10 Northeastern states, including New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Vermont, have announced the formation of the Northeast Public Health Collaborative. This bloc aims to issue vaccine guidance and coordinate public health efforts independent of the federal government. The move comes amid turmoil at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services, where the Trump administration has implemented significant changes.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Northeast Public Health Collaborative is a bloc of 10 Northeastern states formed to issue vaccine guidance and coordinate public health efforts, independent of the federal government.
  • The group will focus on vaccine recommendations, data collection, and emergency preparedness, among other health efforts.
  • The bloc's recommendations differ from those of the CDC, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has implemented changes that depart from CDC guidelines.
  • The Northeast Public Health Collaborative recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children 6 months to 2 years old and pregnant women, whereas the CDC now recommends weighing a child's risk level for COVID-19 for children aged 2 to 18.
  • The bloc's recommendations are consistent with those of national medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
  • New Hampshire is the only New England state not to join the collaborative, but Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robert Goldstein said the group is "actively communicating" with New Hampshire health officials.
  • The Northeast Public Health Collaborative is now one of two such health blocs, with the West Coast Health Alliance being the other.
  • The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington have released a joint statement criticizing President Trump's mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists, which they call a "direct assault on the health and safety of the American people."

Statistics:

  • 10 Northeastern states have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative.
  • The bloc aims to issue vaccine guidance and coordinate public health efforts independent of the federal government.
  • The CDC has implemented significant changes under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
  • The Northeast Public Health Collaborative recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children 6 months to 2 years old and pregnant women.
  • The CDC now recommends weighing a child's risk level for COVID-19 for children aged 2 to 18.
  • 2,400 CDC employees have been laid off, and 17 members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee have been fired.
  • The CDC has been cut off from roughly $500 million in mRNA vaccine research projects.

Sources:

  • https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2025/announce-northeast-public-health-collaborative.page
  • https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/09/12/mass-health-commissioner-says-regional-vaccine-collaborative-actively-communicating-with-nh/
  • https://x.com/healthvermont/status/1968748676399923685
  • https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-vaccines-health-alliance-9525/65996893
  • https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2025/09/nephc-covid-19-vaccine-consensus-recommendation-final-to-leadership-9_15_2025.pdf
  • https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions/#:~:text=Yes%2C%20the%20AAP%20supports%20co%2Dadministration%20%28or%20vaccination,who%20are%20behind%20on%20or%20due%20for
  • https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/patient-care/prevention-wellness/immunizations-vaccines.html
  • https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2025/08/acog-releases-updated-maternal-immunization-guidance-covid-influenza-rsv