Representatives from Vermont’s Department of Health and seven other Northeastern states met last week to form a regional public health coalition that can respond to challenges passed down from the federal government amid dramatic changes brought on by the administration of President Donald Trump, such as disparities in vaccine recommendations or losses in lab funding.

Vermont’s interim health commissioner, Julie Arel, confirmed that she and her principal adviser went to the meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, as did the state epidemiologist, lab director and other senior staff members in the Department of Health. The meeting was first reported by the Boston Globe .

Arel described a collaboration in its preliminary stages: “The intent of that meeting in Rhode Island was to start to say

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