States rally to offset fracturing of federal healthcare agencies: ‘Diseases don’t see state lines’

Changes to regulatory or information environments will help states decouple from federal health recommendations

Seven US states and the nation's largest city announced this week that they have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, in an effort to strengthen the region's health guidance as the national health landscape fractures.

As national health agencies revisit their recommendations, including high-profile restrictions on the updated Covid shots and the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine, the pressure is increasingly falling on states to navigate recommendations and new federal rules.