Governor Kathy Hochul announced in her State of the State she is pushing for bills to protect access to vaccines and strengthen public health statewide.
The proposal will authorize the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with recognized medical organizations, to establish immunization requirements that guide school eligibility, clinical practice, and insurance coverage.
The goal is to provide clarity for providers and insurers, protect access to vaccines, and strengthen public health statewide.
“This year, I’ll go further, ensuring New York’s immunization standards are set by trusted medical experts, not conspiracy theorists,” said Hochul during her State of the State address Tuesday.
The fight to protect vaccines comes after the CDC made changes to the nationwide vaccine schedule — removing some common vaccine recommendations.
On January 7th, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said, “The only release is the new vaccine scheduled two days ago. The vaccine schedule, there’s nothing compulsory in it. Everybody, I’ve always promised I’m not going to take people’s vaccines away from them. People who want to get vaccines, everybody who wants them can get all of the vaccines that were on the old schedule.”
Dr. Eric Yager, an Associate Professor at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science, says the changes in recommendations have led to confusion for parents, patients, and healthcare providers.
“So an individual that you know is maybe not as aware is like, well, they’re making these changes, why were they made? What do I follow? Who do I trust?”
New York mom Alissa Kanowitz lost her daughter Amanda in 2004 to the flu.
At the time, the vaccine schedule didn’t recommend kids aged 4 get the flu shot.
Kanowitz and other families with similar experiences came together to create Families Fighting Flu. Through advocacy, they were able to get the CDC to change those recommendations.
“So if we can spare one family from having to go through what we did, we feel like it’s our responsibility,” said Kanowitz.
Other medical professionals say a lack of vaccinations can lead to outbreaks.
“We’re having like record levels of measles over the last few decades currently because it’s such a contagious disease and that’s a very good example of the fact that even a slight deviation from past experiences with the vaccines can allow for these viruses to find their way in and they can lead to absences from work, from school,” said Board Certified Pediatrician Dr. Daniel Cohen.
