Open Letter from Louisiana Healthcare Workers to the Louisiana Department of Health

To the leadership at the Louisiana Department of Health,

As physicians, nurses and other healthcare workers dedicated to the health and well-being of Louisiana’s families, we are alarmed by the Louisiana Department of Health’s recent anti-science policy shift regarding vaccines. While claiming to promote personal choice, these policies actively limit access to vaccines by prohibiting clinics and preventing staff from even offering them. This approach not only restricts choices for families but undermines their ability to protect themselves against preventable diseases.

LDH has stated that vaccines should be a decision between patients and their doctors. As your healthcare providers, we unequivocally advise you to stay up to date on your vaccines. Vaccines are safe, effective and one of the most powerful tools we have to protect individuals and communities from serious illnesses. For those with rare medical exceptions—affecting less than one percent of the population—community immunity becomes even more critical.

Louisiana families deserve the freedom to access vaccines and the assurance of accurate, science-based guidance from public health leaders. Denying these fundamental resources endangers lives, as falling vaccination rates lead to preventable illnesses, increased healthcare costs, and disruptions to workplaces and schools.

As healthcare workers bound by our oaths to do no harm and prioritize patient care, we implore the Louisiana Department of Health to reverse these dangerous policies. Public health leadership must prioritize transparency, education and access to lifesaving immunizations. Louisiana families deserve nothing less.

Sincerely,

Louisiana Families for Vaccines and the Louisiana healthcare workers signed below.