Virginia joins Northeast Public Health Collaborative to strengthen public health efforts

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia officially joined the Northeast Public Health Collaborative (NEPHC) on Wednesday to strengthen public health efforts, according to state health officials.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced on Wednesday, March 4, that the Commonwealth joined the NEPHC -- described by the department as a voluntary regional coalition of public health agencies and leaders that shares knowledge, improves coordination and protects evidence-based public health.

Health officials have explained that this partnership provides the state with better access to expertise and regional alignment to actively prepare and prevent future crises.

“Threats to people’s health do not stop at state lines, and neither should our coordination,” said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa, in part, in a release. “Joining this collaborative ensures that Virginia remains proactive and prepared not just for today’s challenges, but for the ones we cannot yet see.”  

“This collaborative relationship has a lot of technical benefits for Virginians,” said State Health Commissioner B. Cameron Webb in a press release. “By working alongside neighboring jurisdictions, we strengthen our ability to share best and promising practices, identify emerging trends earlier, and coordinate strategies that protect and improve the health of Virginians. This multi-state effort reflects our commitment to learn together, act proactively, and ensure communities across the Commonwealth will start seeing positive public health outcomes as the norm.”

Members of the NEPHC can strengthen their "capabilities and institutional resiliency," which state health officials said can save time and resources due to shared planning and collaboration.

The department said the NEPHC has already formed collaborative bodies from different legal, geographic or administrative jurisdictions. According to VDH, these groups aim to identify opportunities for collaborations across multiple public health disciplines.

This includes public health emergency preparedness and response, vaccine recommendations and purchasing, data collection and analysis, infectious disease, epidemiology and laboratory capacity and services.  

Virginia joins several state and local public health departments throughout the Northeast region as NEPHC members, including Connecticut and New York, per a release.