Amid upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey says her state is making changes to ensure vaccinations are readily available in the commonwealth.
Up until recently, the state of Massachusetts has taken many cues from the CDC for vaccines – looking to its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, for recommendations.
It effectively means pharmacists in the state have been limited to administering what the ACIP greenlights.
But, earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and vaccine-skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ousted the panel of health experts.
The CDC’s director was also recently fired – reportedly over refusing to “rubber stamp” what the new, RFK Jr.-picked ACIP might recommend, Politico reports. The HHS director has disputed the claim.
Paired with the FDA approving a new round of COVID-19 boosters for only certain groups, it’s a situation that has the Healey administration taking action.
“Massachusetts, we're not going to let this stand - we are taking a stand, we are a healthcare leader and we're not going to let the Trump administration or Robert Kennedy cost lives and take us down,” the governor said at a press conference on Sept. 4.
Standing beside state health officials, Healey announced new changes that put vaccine recommendations in the hands of the state’s Department of Public Health.
DPH Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein has already issued a “standing order,” permitting pharmacies to continue providing COVID vaccines to all residents “aged five and older” – those younger would receive said shots through a pediatrician.
The moves address reports of chain pharmacies like CVS not offering COVID vaccines due to the federal government’s limited recommendations.
“We will look to do everything we can to protect the public health of residents in Massachusetts and work with our sister states to stand up and fight for and protect the public health of Americans,” Healey said. “People here will continue to get the care and the protection that they need. It's a pretty sad statement, that we can no longer trust the federal government on this, but sadly, that's where we're at.”
The Healey administration has also ordered that insurance carriers in the state “continue to cover vaccines recommended by DPH and not rely solely on CDC recommendations,” making Massachusetts “the first state in the nation to guarantee insurance coverage of vaccines recommended by the state,” the governor says.
