Colorado Governor Jared Polis holds a "Project 2025" book on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

By Siddhi Mahatole

(Reuters) -A coalition of 15 U.S. state governors representing more than a third of the country's population has launched a new bipartisan alliance on Wednesday, aimed at improving public health coordination and emergency preparedness.

The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a hub for governors and public health officials to share best practices, exchange data and collaborate on emergency response, vaccine policy and other technical issues, according to a joint statement from the coalition.

The alliance of mostly Democratic states and territories comprises Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Guam.

"While Donald Trump and RFK Jr. turn their backs on public health, Governors are stepping up to make sure our residents have the health care they need and deserve," Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said.

Severe budget reductions due to current and proposed federal cuts and funding pullbacks under the Trump administration have put public health at risk, the governors said.

"Democrat-led states that imposed unscientific school closures, toddler mask mandates, and vaccine passports during the COVID era are the ones who destroyed public trust in public health," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement to Reuters.

The Trump Administration and Secretary Kennedy are rebuilding trust by grounding every policy in rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science - not the failed politics of the pandemic, Nixon added.

The alliance is supported by GovAct, a nonpartisan nonprofit initiative that supports coordinated governor action, and advised by national health experts, including Dr. Mandy Cohen, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The launch comes as U.S. states and territories prepare for seasonal illnesses like flu and RSV, monitor emerging threats such as avian flu and mpox, and plan for major international events like the 2028 Olympics, where cross-border coordination will be critical.

The alliance will equip governors with toolkits, policy briefings, and strategies, while providing a forum to address health security challenges.

The Northeast and West Coast states have created similar alliances to make their own vaccine recommendations in response to the Trump administration's changes to federal vaccine policy.

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole and Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Anil D'Silva)