1. United States
2. N.H.
3. Letter

I am writing to strongly urge that you advocate that New Hampshire join our neighbors in the Northeast Public Health Collaborative in order to ensure equitable and science-based vaccine access for New Hampshire residents. As a board-certified nurse practitioner, I am appalled by the recent restriction on covid vaccine accessibility, which is rooted in blatant misinformation being spread by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration. As a mother, I am furious that my child has lost access to the vaccine that has been researched and vetted extensively by experts in the fields of virology and public health. This fall, I am forced to take my daughter across state lines to Massachusetts to get her the covid booster recommended by her pediatrician. There is a common misconception that covid cannot serious affect healthy children. The first time my otherwise healthy daughter caught covid at the age of 4 months, her fever burned so high that she lost consciousness. I watched as an advanced life support team worked over my infant's limp body. Needless to say, I want my child protected from this disease. I want our daughter's pediatrician's recommendation followed, and because of RFK Jr., that cannot happen in New Hampshire. I, as a healthcare worker who works with vulnerable high-risk populations including young children, the elderly, and the unhoused, am also forced to go across state lines to obtain my own vaccine to protect myself and my family. This restriction on vaccines is absurd, it's irresponsible, and it does not stop with covid. Already, RFK Jr. is advocating to delay the Hepatitis B Vaccination from birth until age 5, a catastrophic decision which WILL result in chronic Hepatitis, liver failure, and liver cancer diagnoses in children who could have otherwise been protected. We cannot trust the misinformation that RFK Jr. is spreading. I am a medical provider and I have the knowledge and education necessary to make this statement. For these reasons, I am begging you to take action to protect New Hampshire residents.