June 10, 2025
Statement Attributed to:
Sabine von Preyss-Friedman, MD, CMD
President, Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association
The Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed) expresses profound concern over the recent removal of 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Our members, who care for individuals in the post-acute and long-term care settings, have long relied on the ACIP for scientifically rigorous, evidence-based guidance to prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases. This guidance is essential to protecting the lives of our patients, who are among the most vulnerable and medically complex populations in the country.
We warn that such a sudden change will interfere with and delay important decisions, particularly considering the critical role vaccines play in safeguarding the health of older adults and individuals with chronic conditions. For many years, ACIP has served as a trusted non-partisan source of expert advice that has shaped responsible, life-saving public health decisions. Unfortunately, we know the devastation a pandemic can bring to the vulnerable elderly population when there were no vaccines available early in the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Administration did then to take swift action to ensure all resources were put to making vaccines available during Operation Warp Speed, it must continue to take action to prevent disease that leads to unnecessary deaths. Thus, we call on HHS to immediately re-install this panel and ensure that it includes experts from all specialties including geriatrics to ensure we protect our nation’s older adults.
As an organization dedicated to the highest quality of care, we reaffirm our commitment to evidence-based medicine and to following scientifically sound recommendations from vaccine and infectious disease experts. Our patients deserve nothing less.
