WORCESTER – The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Thursday, September 9, that the state joined with six others to create the Northeast Public Health Collaborative. The collaborative includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City.
The seven states and one city began collaborating in early 2025, though the formal announcement did not take place until now.
The purpose of the collaborative “is to work together in new ways–optimizing the use of shared resources, innovating and reimagining core services – to ensure trust in public health, respond to public health threats, advance community health and strengthen confidence in vaccines and science-based medicine.”
The groups’ shared goal “is to protect the health, safety and well-being of all residents by providing information based on science, data, and evidence, while working to ensure equitable access to vaccines, medications and services.”
The collaborative says it has formed inter-jurisdictional working groups to identify opportunities for collaboration and shared planning. Those groups cover the areas of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Vaccine Recommendations, Data Collection, Infectious Disease Management and Laboratory Services.
In August, the group met in-person for the first time in Rhode Island.
