Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Oregon, Washington, California form health care alliance to protect vaccine access
From left, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
(
Jenny Kane, Lindsey Wasson, Godofredo A. Vásquez
/
AP
)
This story was originally published by Oregon Public Broadcasting
The democratic governors of Oregon, Washington and California are forming a new public health partnership aimed at preserving access to vaccines.
The partnership, called the Western Health Alliance, will develop its own immunization guidelines “informed by respected national medical organizations,” according to a news release Wednesday from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk,” the governors said in a joint prepared statement.
Support for LAist comes from
Their announcement comes after a week of chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last week, the White House fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, who was appointed by President Trump, after she refused to approve vaccine policies preferred by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Several of the agency’s top career scientists also resigned in protest. On Monday, nine former directors of the CDC, who worked under both Republicans and Democrats, condemned Kennedy’s leadership of the agency in an op-ed in The New York Times.
Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, responded with an op-ed of his own in the Wall Street Journal, saying he’s “restoring the public’s trust in the CDC” and vaccine science broadly by eliminating bias and conflicts of interest.
“Vaccines are among the most powerful tools in modern medicine; they have indisputably saved millions of lives,” Dr. Sejal Hathi, head of the Oregon Health Authority, said in the announcement. “But when guidance about their use becomes inconsistent or politicized, it undermines public trust at precisely the moment we need it most.”
Last week, the FDA approved the new round of COVID-19 vaccines, but limited their availability to only those who are considered high-risk.
The CDC’s advisory committee on immunization practices is set to meet this month to discuss recommendations for who should get the shot, providing needed guidance to pharmacists across the country. Earlier this summer, Kennedy removed all 17 members from the advisory committee and has replaced them with members who have criticized vaccines and spread misinformation about them.
Support for LAist comes from
On Monday, President Donald Trump suggested on his social media website Truth Social that drugmakers like Pfizer should prove to the public that COVID-19 vaccines were effective because controversy was affecting the CDC. In a press release last week, Pfizer included a link to a presentation from May on its vaccine efficacy.
Syringes are prepared for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at a clinic in Lubbock, Texas.
(
Mary Conlon
/
AP
)
The alliance’s formation is not the first time West Coast states have partnered on public health endeavors. In 2020, the three formed the “Western States Pact” to review federal vaccine recommendations and coordinate pandemic restrictions. Oregon, Washington and California were three of the final states to lift their mask mandates.
The states also have a history in responding to national health care policy changes. As legal cases that threatened abortion medication moved through the courts, the states all developed their own stockpiles of the drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol.
Tensions between the states and the Trump administration have been rising in other areas over the past month as well. The president has frequently said he wanted to see more immigration enforcement in so-called sanctuary states like Oregon and Washington after a notable presence in California. Newsom has also taken to mocking President Trump on social media in recent days.
The three Democratic governors offered few specifics Wednesday as to how they hope the Western Health Alliance could influence which vaccines will be available in their states.
The Food and Drug Administration is tasked with approving new vaccines, and state legislatures generally determine which vaccines are required for school attendance.
Support for LAist comes from
One possibility would be bulk vaccine purchasing agreements, with more than 50 million people living in the three states combined.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts. -
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
-
Hexavalent chromium is the same carcinogen Erin Brockovich warned about in the 1990s, but researchers say more study is needed on the potential health effects of nanoparticles detected earlier this year. Experts will answer questions at a webinar this evening.
-
The budget gap has led to a tuition hike, along with spending cuts and fewer course offerings. At the same time, generative AI already has transformed higher ed — including post-grad job prospects.
-
The construction work is part of a $143.7 million plan to rehabilitate pavement between Van Nuys and Westwood along the Sepulveda Pass.
Best of LAist