Hawaii joins West Coast states in starting a new health alliance to replace CDC
September 4, 2025
- Hawaii becomes the fourth state to join the West Coast Health Alliance, expanding the coalition to include California, Oregon, and Washington in providing independent, science-based immunization guidance
- The alliance formed in response to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s removal of all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and their replacement with vaccine skeptics
- The coalition will coordinate health guidelines and align immunization recommendations with "respected national medical organizations" rather than following CDC guidance
Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced Thursday that his state is joining the West Coast Health Alliance, less than 24 hours after California, Oregon, and Washington launched the coalition to provide independent public health guidance amid what the states describe as the federal government's dismantling of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Hawaii is proud to stand with our West Coast partners to ensure public health decisions are grounded in science, not politics," said Green, an emergency room physician who became governor in 2022. The addition of Hawaii extends the alliance's reach to include roughly 57 million Americans across the Pacific region.
The four-state coalition represents a direct challenge to the Trump administration's overhaul of federal health agencies. In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the CDC's vaccine recommendations committee, calling it "little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine," and replaced them with advisers with a history of criticizing vaccine recommendations or questioning their safety.
Green emphasized Hawaii's public health track record, noting that "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" during the COVID-19 pandemic. He called the alliance "critical as we all go forward into an era with severe threats from infectious diseases."
"Our guiding star"
The alliance states commit to ensuring public health recommendations are guided by safety, efficacy, transparency, access, and trust. Rather than relying on federal CDC guidance, the coalition will coordinate health guidelines and align its immunization recommendations with those of "respected national medical organizations."
In their joint announcement, the governors criticized recent changes at the CDC, stating that "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."
The alliance said it will maintain respect for tribal sovereignty, recognizing that tribal nations retain authority over vaccine services for their communities. While each state will independently pursue strategies shaped by their unique circumstances, the shared principles will form the foundation for coordinated public health responses.
The formation comes as the states express concern about a "vacuum of clear, evidence-based vaccine guidance" that they say leaves manufacturers without reliable information for production planning, creates inconsistency in healthcare provider recommendations, and generates uncertainty for families about access and coverage.
In the coming weeks, the alliance plans to finalize shared principles aimed at strengthening public confidence in vaccines and public health more broadly, positioning the four-state coalition as an alternative source of scientific guidance independent of federal health agencies.