Northeast Public Health Collaborative

The Northeast Public Health Collaborative is a coalition created by the governors of several northeast states to coordinate public health guidelines separate from the CDC, similar to the West Coast Health Alliance. Maryland joined the coalition in September 2025.
The voluntary collaboration aims "to share expertise, improve coordination, enhance capacity, strengthen regional readiness, and promote and protect evidence-based public health" and "ensure trust in public health, respond to public health threats, advance community health and strengthen confidence in... science-based medicine".
The NEPHC released COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for the 2025-2026 academic year on September 15, 2025.

Background

The coalition was formed after a series of controversial decisions by the Department of Health and Human Services under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A week before the announcement, CDC director Susan Monarez was fired over disagreements on vaccine policy, with her attorneys saying she "refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives". Four more top CDC leaders resigned claiming political interference in their duties. On June 23, 2025, Kennedy fired all 17 members of an advisory panel for vaccine recommendations, replacing some with people who allegedly had previously spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.