Hawaii becomes 4th state in West Coast Health Alliance for science-based vaccine guidance

Hawaii announced its plan to join the West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA) approximately 24 hours after its inception, the Washington State Governor’s Office announced Thursday.

The WCHA is now comprised of Washington, California, Oregon, and its newest member, Hawaii. The alliance was officially announced on Wednesday as a provider for vaccine recommendations for residents solely based on science.

“We are proud to announce the state of Hawaii is joining the West Coast Health Alliance to uphold the scientific integrity of public health recommendations. We look forward to collaborating as allied states on the best practices for our constituents. Together, we’re taking a stand to ensure the safety of our residents is protected and guided by evidence-based findings and not political whims,” Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said in a joint statement.

Hawaii joins the West Coast Health Alliance

WCHA will be a shared commitment to safeguard public health by providing evidence-based immunization guidance that ensures residents have credible information free from political interference, according to the release.

“Hawaii is proud to stand with our West Coast partners to ensure public health decisions are grounded in science, not politics,” Hawaii Governor Josh Green, a former emergency room physician, said. “As an island state, we understand how critical it is to protect our communities from preventable disease. By joining the West Coast Health Alliance, we’re giving Hawaii’s people the same consistent, evidence-based guidance they can trust to keep their families and neighbors safe.”

The three states within the initial announcement of the alliance previously condemned Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s dismissal of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in June.

“The CDC has been central to protecting Americans from disease. But recent leadership changes, reduced transparency, and the sidelining of long-trusted advisory bodies have impaired the agency’s capacity to prepare the nation for respiratory virus season and other public health challenges,” according to the release.

The Washington State Governor’s Office noted that the absence of science-based leadership at the federal level poses a direct threat to national health security. To protect the health of its communities, the states within the WCHA will ensure that public health strategies are based on the best available science.

“In the coming weeks, the alliance will finalize shared principles to strengthen public confidence in vaccines and in public health,” according to the release. “While each state will independently pursue strategies shaped by their unique laws, geographies, histories, and peoples, these shared principles will form the foundations of the alliance.”

The shared partnership between the four states will coordinate with scientific experts in trusted medical professional organizations for recommendations to residents.

“Using science as our guiding star, Hawaii had the highest vaccination rate and lowest mortality rate of virtually any other state or region across the globe,” Green said. “This approach is critical as we all go forward into an era with severe threats from infectious diseases.”

Follow Jason Sutich on X. Send news tips here.