Yesterday, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health heard testimony on the Community Immunity Act.
If we want to be ready for the next pandemic, or even just ready for the next outbreak of a disease we thought we were decades past, we need to be strengthening and standardizing our infrastructure for immunization. We need to leave the past three years with lessons borne out in policy.
The Community Immunity Act is an essential part of that path forward. The bill facilitates robust data collection to assess gaps in statewide vaccine delivery, standardizes immunization protocols for our schools and other youth programs, and supports local interventions in communities lacking herd immunity against dangerous (and even deadly) yet preventable diseases.
Two years ago, I testified in support of the bill and was horrified by much of what I heard during the hearing. Over 15+ hours back in July 2021, the Committee heard from literally hundreds of individuals who espoused toxic disinformation about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, grossly distorted and flatly misstated the content of the Community Immunity Act, and personally attacked the character of any legislators and public health professionals who care about strong immunization policy and infectious disease prevention.
That’s why voices of people like YOU, who believe in pro-science and pro-public-health policy, are so important.
Can you submit written testimony in support of the Community Immunity Act?
You can use the link above or copy, paste, and adapt the text from it and send it to Rosalind Jordan (rosalind.jordan@mahouse.gov) and Brian Rosman Brian.Rosman@masenate.gov).
A Week Full of Hearings
This week has been full of hearings at the State House. If you haven’t already, make sure your voice gets heard in support of the following bills that we spoke about in recent emails:
