[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC STING] - Hi everyone, Steve Adubato here.

We kick off the program with Dr.

Raynard Washington, who's the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health.

Dr.

Washington, great to have you with us.

- Great to be here.

- Where are you from originally?

- I was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia.

- And how did we get you in New Jersey?

- Well, for the last decade, I've spent working on the front lines of local public health in big cities across the country, most recently in the city of Charlotte and before that, just next door in Philadelphia.

So it's great to be back here in the Northeast and a part of the Sherrill administration.

- How concerned are you, Dr.

Washington, about the fact that there are a significant number of New Jerseyans and Americans who mistrust the public health system?

- Well, I think it's incredibly concerning, particularly as it relates to our residents having good information to make good decisions to keep themselves and their families safe.

And so as we're seeing the resurgence of illnesses like measles across the country, it's really important that we continue to not just ensure folks have good information, but to make it as easy as possible for our families to access those healthcare resources they need.

- Can you understand, or to what degree can you understand, Doctor, how confusing and scary it is for millions of parents as it relates to, let's just talk about the MMR vaccine, right.

They're hearing one thing from the White House, from the federal government, from RFK Junior, who is the leading healthcare executive in the administration, federal administration, and another thing on the state level.

When they're hearing conflicting, competing messages about vaccines and vaccine safety and what you should and shouldn't do, you might want to do it, you may not want to do it.

You want to spread out the MMR vaccine, do it in a bunch of different injections or shots so it could be bad for your kid.

That's confusing and scary.

Is it not, doctor?

- It is.

I'll tell you, I think what I'll say first is that the evidence is clear that the MMR vaccine is effective and it works and it protects against measles infections in our families and kids across the state.

What's also clear is that that's a longstanding fact and that our evidence has not changed in that regard.

And so it is really important that we are clear and that we're consistent in that message to folks across the state.

It's not just elected officials and appointed officials.

It's also the wealth of information that people are able to consume on social media and other places that we're contending against right now.

And that's why we're emphasizing our messages so hard.

- And that's why we are doing these series, this series, particularly on vaccines.

Let me follow up on this.

We're doing this going to the fall of 2026.

It'll be seen later at mid-September, we're taping this.

Flu, COVID season.

What the heck does that mean and what does it mean about our vaccines?

- Yeah, it's just another infectious illness that we have to be worried about.

It's the time of year we're starting to see COVID activity uptick already, and we know that the flu and RSV are going to come right behind that.

And so we're working right now to make sure that as well, those vaccines are available to all of our families across the state, particularly those who are more vulnerable to severe illness from respiratory illness like young children and older adults and pregnant women.

And so just that continues to be an area of focus for us.

It's an annual activity that we engage in to make sure we make vaccines available and that we raise awareness about it.

- One of the other initiatives, the Stay Well, Learn Well initiative.

What is that doctor?

- Yeah, it's really an effort for us to ensure our kids are kept safe.

As the governor has said, top priority for the administration is ensuring that we protect our most vulnerable, our kids among us.

And so it's our effort to work with our partners to make those childhood vaccines available, to make school health assessments and physicals available, not just at doctor's offices, but onsite in communities, at schools and other locations that are convenient and easy for families to access.

There's also a calendar on our website where families can find additional events that are still coming up later this month.

- I'm going to follow up on this.

The Department of Health is partnering with four of the state's healthcare system, Atlantic Health, Cooper, HMH, excuse me, Hackensack Meridian Health and RWJ Barnabas Health on this stay well, learn well initiative.

What's the connection with these healthcare systems?

- Well, we've actually asked our healthcare partners to step up their activities and help us make sure that the healthcare is as accessible as possible and it's easy for families to be able to access those resources that they need to keep their kids safe.

We know when kids they're up to date on their vaccines, they've had their physicals, that helps keep them healthy.

And if they're healthy, they can learn better, they can stay in school.

And so we just ask our healthcare partners to partner with us to make it as easy as possible for families to access those resources.

And so in addition to the health systems, our local health departments are also supporting as well as our fairly qualified health centers.

- Real quick on this, is there a blood shortage in our state?

- Yeah, we've had several periods throughout the summer where we've had shortages in our blood supply.

And so we've been emphasizing the importance of donation across the state.

And again, trying to raise awareness that at any moment, any of us could have a crisis or need to have a healthcare need for blood transfusion.

And so it's really important that our residents step up and make it possible that we don't have to depend on our neighboring states and other organizations to supply blood to New Jerseyans.

- I want to go back to the trust in public health issue.

How challenging is it for you, Dr.

Washington, to do what you do as a member of the governor's cabinet, member of the administration, as it relates to promoting peer reviewed scientific, credible public health information and avoid the "Politics" of public health?

- Yeah, it's tough, particularly nowadays, but I will say that it is possible.

I mean, part of what we are trying to do is to ensure that our messaging is consistent, to make sure that we're available to residents, whether it be the State Department of Health, our local health departments, and also making sure that we are providing good quality information in the same means that our residents are accessing information.

So on social media, through our website, whether it be billboards or even TV, to make sure that residents have that information available.

- Please go on the website, the Department of Health website.

We are particularly focused on the section, and again, I don't know how the backslash vaccines, it's all there.

Why?

Because we are in the business of not promoting anything, but providing credible scientific information about vaccines, what you need to know, and we cannot do that without the cooperation of the New Jersey Department of Health.

Dr.

Raynard Washington, the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health.

Dr.

Washington, thank you so much for joining us.

- Thanks for having me.

- You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] State of Affairs with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

The Burke Foundation EJI, Excellence in Medicine.

A New Jersey health foundation program.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

NJM Insurance Group.

PSEG Foundation.

Valley Bank.

United Airlines.

And by Stockton University.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by BestofNJ.com.

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