Press Release  Ahead of ACIP Meeting, Governor Healey and Public Health Leaders Commit to Protecting Access to Safe, Effective and Life-Saving Childhood Vaccines 

Boston — Amid rising misinformation and attempts to restrict access to vaccines by President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Governor Maura Healey and Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein yesterday convened pediatricians and other public health leaders to emphasize Massachusetts’ commitment to protecting access to safe, effective and life-saving vaccines, especially for children.  

The event, Strengthening Trust in Childhood Vaccines: A DPH-Hosted Forum for Providers and the Public Health Community, was held the day before the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) begins discussions that could alter long-standing and proven infant hepatitis B vaccination recommendations and the full childhood immunization schedule. 

“Vaccines are safe, effective and lifesaving. No matter what President Trump and Secretary Kennedy do in Washington, we are going to make sure that Massachusetts residents have access to the vaccines they want and need to keep them and their families healthy, especially our children,” said Governor Healey. “We will continue to provide evidence-based information to our residents and make vaccine recommendations that are rooted in data and science.” 

Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, warned that any move to weaken evidence-based protections for newborns could have disastrous consequences, putting the tiniest and most vulnerable in our state at the greatest risk. He also reinforced the critical importance of grounding vaccine policy in rigorous science.  

“Our job is to follow the data – and the data here are beyond reproach,” said Commissioner Goldstein. “For more than three decades, the hepatitis B birth dose has safely protected babies from a silent, deadly virus that can too often go undetected in parents. The science is unequivocal, and the stakes are enormous. We owe families clarity, consistency, and reassurance that their public health system is guided by solid evidence – evidence that can be trusted and evidence that will not change with shifting political winds.”  

Goldstein noted that the hepatitis B vaccine has reduced pediatric infection rates by 99 percent nationwide, calling it “one of the most successful public health interventions of our time.”  

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can lead to serious long-term health problems, including chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Because the virus can be passed from an infected mother to the baby during birth, newborns are at particular risk of developing lifelong infection.  

“A healthy, thriving Massachusetts must be built on trust – trust in science, trust in our health care system, and trust that our state will always safeguard the well-being of its residents,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kiame Mahaniah, MD. “Yesterday’s conversation represented an important step toward rallying the greater health care ecosystem in our state to reinforce that trust and preserve access to the protections every family and every child deserve.”  

Throughout the forum, attended by more than 100 people, many participants voiced deep alarm about efforts to weaken long-standing immunization recommendations that have dramatically reduced preventable disease in children. Providers described the increased daily challenges of countering misinformation that parents have seen on the web or social platforms, or heard from family, friends, and neighbors. Their comments reflected both urgency about the harmful effects of misinformation and a shared commitment to safeguard children and families.  

The insights shared at the event will help inform DPH’s next steps to preserve vaccines as a cornerstone of child health – from enhancing provider support, to strengthening community outreach, to countering misinformation with clear, science-based communication.  

Governor Healey has taken a number of steps to protect public health in Massachusetts, especially when it comes to the availability and affordability of vaccines. Last week, she reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the existing hepatitis B vaccine schedule to safeguard newborns. She signed legislation allowing the DPH to issue its own vaccine recommendations rooted in science and data. She’s criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for directing the CDC to post false information about links between vaccines and autism. She directed the Commissioner of Public Health to issue a standing order for all Massachusetts residents to be able to get the COVID vaccine, directed health insurers to cover COVID vaccines, and made it easier to administer flu vaccines. 

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