A newly formed, multistate coalition represents the largest coordinated pushback to federal public health guidance under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to date.

Preceded by similar, more regional approaches, including a Northeast collaborative that Pennsylvania joined in mid-September, the Governors Public Health Alliance includes 14 states and one territory, all led by Democrats.

Though the governors of neighboring states New York, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey are all involved, Pennsylvania is not part of the new alliance, a spokesperson for Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday. The spokesperson declined further comment on the Governors Public Health Alliance.

The alliance is supported by GovAct, a nonpartisan initiative that, per an Oct. 15 news release, "supports national coordination on public health at the gubernatorial level," with plans to work with groups including the Northeast Public Health Collaborative that includes Pennsylvania. It aims to "facilitate cross-state collaboration by bringing together regional and other groups to share best practices and surface common challenges."

It will serve as a hub to share data and guidance on infectious diseases and other public health threats, to coordinate emergency preparedness and to provide opportunities for collaboration. The faction also includes Colorado, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Guam.

"As Washington wages misguided attacks on science, I'm fighting to ensure New Yorkers have the power and information they need to make their own healthcare decisions," said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on X Wednesday. "Proud to join @GovsforHealth in an effort to keep our communities safe and informed."

The move comes as Mr. Kennedy and President Donald Trump's health policies break from scientific consensus on vaccine guidelines, gender care and infectious disease.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ACIP), which is housed within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and crafts and updates vaccine policy, recently voted to "bring back informed consent" to the COVID-19 vaccine instead of outright recommending it, as the panel has done since the vaccine first became available in 2020.

Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, called that announcement misleading on X, pointing to the potential need for prescriptions for vaccine access.

The current ACIP panel is composed of 12 members, selected by Mr. Kennedy.

The group also voted in July to remove the preservative thimerosal from vaccines; only some influenza vaccines in the U.S. contain the ingredient, which has been repeatedly shown not to cause harm in scientific studies.

The most recent health alliance is not a new strategy for U.S. states, with two notable coalitions formed last month.

The West Coast Health Alliance includes California, Oregon and Washington, while the Northeast Public Health Collaborative launched with Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and both New York City and state. The Northeast states banded together in an effort to "protect evidence-based public health," per a Sept. 18 press release from Mr. Shapiro's office.

The Governors Public Health Alliance website is still in progress, but notes that the group represents a third of all Americans. A spokesperson for the alliance said via email Thursday that participating states have already begun sharing best practices, receiving briefings from health experts and coordinating on actions that governors can take to strengthen public health protections. This includes standing orders and directives preserving COVID-19 vaccine access.

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