Local opinion: Arizona must join West Coast Health Alliance

As both a medical doctor and member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, I’ve spent my career focused on protecting people’s health. What’s happening in Washington is putting us all at risk and should alarm anyone who cares about science, medicine, and truth.

In June, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly fired all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the scientists and physicians who’ve for decades guided our country’s sensible vaccine policy. Never before has this expert panel been politicized. Kennedy has replaced them with unvetted appointees, including outspoken vaccine skeptics.

Since then, we’ve seen the federal government restrict COVID-19 vaccine access to people over 65 or with preexisting conditions, a reversal that’s left doctors, pharmacists, and insurers uncertain about who can get vaccinated and when. It’s forced out career scientists and undermined trust in one of the nation’s most critical institutions.

The result is confusion and risk. Measles and whooping cough are reemerging in parts of the country, and Arizona isn’t immune. In recent months, parents in Tucson, Phoenix, and across Arizona’s rural counties have reported being turned away from pharmacies when trying to get routine or COVID-19 vaccines for their children. Pediatricians and local health departments are scrambling to clarify shifting federal guidance.

To be clear: This is not how a functioning public-health system operates.

With the federal government turning away from science, it’s up to states to step up. That’s exactly what our neighbors to the west have done. California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii formed the West Coast Health Alliance, a coalition committed to providing clear, evidence-based vaccine guidance rooted in science instead of politics. Several northeastern states likewise formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative in late September. Governors in both coalitions have pledged to protect their residents with consistent, transparent information they can trust.

Arizona must stand with them and join the West Coast Health Alliance.

As a physician, I’ve seen firsthand the power of vaccines. I’ve also seen the devastation that comes from misinformation and fear. My colleagues and I have reassured parents terrified that their child caught something that could’ve been prevented. We’ve treated patients with COVID-19, measles scares, and other outbreaks where science made the difference between life and death.

By joining the West Coast Health Alliance, Governor Hobbs can help restore confidence in evidence-based medicine and ensure our residents get consistent, accurate, science-driven information. We can send a clear message: Arizona stands with science, with our doctors and nurses, and with every family that wants to keep their loved ones safe.

Public health is not optional, and science is non-negotiable. Let’s make sure Arizona stands firmly on the side of both.