This is great news; I was definitely hoping that once Abigail Spanberger took the oath of office, that shortly thereafter Virginia would join the Northeast Public Health Collaborative (a “Voluntary Coalition includ[ing] Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City” aimed at “Identify[ing] Opportunities for Collaboration Including Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Vaccine Recommendations, Data Collection, Infectious Disease Management and Laboratory Services”) – and now, per the Virginia Department of Health, we have! 🙂 Excellent move, given the Trump administration’s – particularly RFK Jr. and his not-so-merry band of anti-science nutjobs – war on science, vaccines, Americans’ healthcare, etc.
Virginia to Join Northeast Public Health Collaborative
(RICHMOND, Va.) — The Commonwealth of Virginia has officially joined the Northeast Public Health Collaborative (NEPHC). The Northeast Public Health Collaborative is a voluntary regional coalition of public health agencies and leaders brought together to share expertise, improve coordination, enhance capacity, strengthen regional readiness, and promote and protect evidence-based public health.
“Threats to people’s health do not stop at state lines, and neither should our coordination. This partnership gives Virginia access to real time expertise and stronger regional alignment so we can better respond to outbreaks, keep routine vaccinations on track, and share critical information during emergencies,” said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa. “Joining this collaborative ensures that Virginia remains proactive and prepared not just for today’s challenges, but for the ones we cannot yet see.”
“This collaborative relationship has a lot of technical benefits for Virginians,” said State Health Commissioner B. Cameron Webb, MD, JD. “By working alongside neighboring jurisdictions, we strengthen our ability to share best and promising practices, identify emerging trends earlier, and coordinate strategies that protect and improve the health of Virginians. This multi-state effort reflects our commitment to learn together, act proactively, and ensure communities across the Commonwealth will start seeing positive public health outcomes as the norm.”
Virginia joins several state and local public health departments throughout the Northeast region as NEPHC members, including Boston, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
All state and local jurisdictions in the Collaborative retain sovereign authority and roles, as each has unique knowledge of their demographics, the challenges they face and the legal and policy constructs under which they operate. But by working in collaboration with other jurisdictions, members of the NEPHC can improve their capabilities and institutional resiliency, thereby saving time and resources through shared planning and responding to the needs of those they serve.
The Collaborative has already formed interjurisdictional working groups to identify opportunities for collaboration and shared planning across multiple public health disciplines including public health emergency preparedness and response, vaccine recommendations and purchasing, data collection and analysis, infectious disease, epidemiology and laboratory capacity and services.
Across all areas of public health – from heath care associated infections to infectious disease epidemiology and from vaccinations and immunizations to emergency preparedness – Virginians will benefit from this new approach to and new level of regional cooperation and collaboration.
