Tennessee Families for Vaccines is a volunteer-led, grassroots network of family members dedicated to advocating for public health and evidence-based public policy and promoting immunizations for healthier kids and communities.
We’re a grassroots network of volunteer parents, grandparents, disease survivors, pediatricians, medical providers, teachers, school nurses, childcare providers, and others who have organized to support strong public health legislation in our state.
Voters who support vaccines are the vast majority in our state, and we need laws that reflect our values. Tennessee Families for Vaccines works closely with a broad set of partners to combat misinformation about vaccines, educate legislators about the value of policy based in science, and support legislation, legislators, and candidates that champion public health and the greater good.
Upcoming Events
Recent News
Longtime allies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health secretary, have launched a new effort to repeal laws that for decades have required children to be vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases before they enter day care or kindergarten.
A newly formed coalition of vaccine activists is targeting laws that are considered the linchpin of protection from deadly diseases. States have long mandated childhood immunizations before children can start day care or school, though some exemptions are available.
…, a new umbrella group of at least 15 nonprofit organizations advocating an end to state laws that codify what they call medical mandates, which largely pertain to vaccines.
…Yet one potent guardrail against weakening immunization mandates has emerged. A number of polls show that voters would penalize lawmakers who favor eliminating school requirements. In one recent poll, conducted by The Wall Street Journal, voters gave Democrats a 9 percent advantage over Republicans when asked which party is best suited to handle vaccine policy.
Two polls commissioned by vaccine backers and conducted by Republican-leaning firms found that voters in Florida and Tennessee would not support lawmakers who want to end school-vaccine mandates. One poll by Fabrizio Ward, a firm that President Trump relies on, found that swing voters in tight congressional races would strip about 20 percentage points from a Republican candidate who was critical of vaccines.
“Vaccine skepticism is bad politics,” the Fabrizio Ward memo said.
Vaccine backers are still concerned about proposals in New Hampshire, Iowa, Idaho, Georgia and potentially other states that could end or sharply limit vaccine requirements for school entry.
“Prior to vaccines, one in five kids didn’t make it to their fifth birthday," said Jennifer Herricks, advocacy director for American Families for Vaccines, a nonprofit that receives some of its funding from vaccine makers. “Having these policies in place has really served to protect kids at the time when they are the most vulnerable to these diseases.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scaling back childhood vaccination recommendations, reducing required vaccinations from 17 diseases to 11 in a move that could affect families, schools, and healthcare providers across the country.
The changes mean vaccines previously recommended for all children, including hepatitis B shots given to newborns for decades, are now only recommended for high-risk children. The same applies to RSV vaccines.
Click the image to watch the news story.
The committee that sets national vaccine recommendations voted to change policies surrounding two major childhood inoculations after gathering last week for two days of contentious and chaotic meetings.
The 12 members, who were recently handpicked by controversial Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also debated overturning decades of established practice around hepatitis B shots for newborns, though they ultimately tabled that vote.
The other two shots in play were the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox) combination vaccine, also known as MMRV, and this year’s COVID 19 booster.
By the end of the week, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, also known as ACIP, voted to no longer recommend the MMRV combination vaccine for kids under 4 years old, rendering it largely inaccessible for that age group.
The committee also voted to shift the COVID 19 booster recommendation to “shared clinical decision making” for all people over 6 months old — regardless of age or risk level — meaning that before getting the shot, individuals will need to talk through the pros and cons with a health care provider, which includes pharmacists.
Through this departure, the committee largely preserved access and insurance coverage, while also raising doubts about the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine, at times citing debunked theories.
“There is just widespread confusion about, ‘What should I do as a parent? Who should I listen to?’” said Northe Saunders, executive director of the pro-vaccine advocacy organization American Families for Vaccines, formerly called SAFE Communities Coalition.
“American parents and American providers don’t actually know what the best recommendations are anymore,” he added, “and so that is going to lead to more hesitancy, because there’s uncertainty about what the right thing to do is, and that’s going to lead to declining immunization rates.”
The Nashville Sounds mascot, Booster, hit a home run for health and got his flu shot. Way to go, Booster! Thank you, TN Department of Health and TN Department of Agriculture for being a part of this fun video.
Since 1967, Tennessee has protected students, faculty, staff, and communities by requiring certain vaccinations for children to attend school. House Joint Resolution 28, by Rep. Gino Bulso, threatens to make these requirements unconstitutional. School vaccination requirements play a vital role in keeping diseases at bay. Measles eradication is a shining example of the success of such laws. The return of outbreaks is a chilling reminder of their importance…Tennessee once proudly led the rest of the country in preventing disease. HJR0028 threatens to make us a leader in increased illnesses, hospitalizations, long-lasting impairments, and even deaths. Our General Assembly has the opportunity to choose the kind of example we want to be to the rest of the country.
Since 1967, Tennessee has protected students, faculty, staff, and communities by requiring certain vaccinations for children to attend school. House Joint Resolution 28, by Rep. Gino Bulso, threatens to make these requirements unconstitutional. School vaccination requirements play a vital role in keeping diseases at bay. Measles eradication is a shining example of the success of such laws. The return of outbreaks is a chilling reminder of their importance…Tennessee once proudly led the rest of the country in preventing disease. HJR0028 threatens to make us a leader in increased illnesses, hospitalizations, long-lasting impairments, and even deaths. Our General Assembly has the opportunity to choose the kind of example we want to be to the rest of the country.
We had an incredible time at the Capitol on Tuesday, sharing with our legislators the importance of vaccines and that protecting public health is patriotic. Shout out to the rock star advocates who joined us!
We were able to meet with most of our 2025 Vaccine Hero honorees and will visit the others this week. Each legislator honored received a certificate and a copy of the book, The Contagion of Liberty. We proudly recognize these legislators for their leadership and unwavering support for public health and vaccine access. We thank them for championing science, protecting our communities, and ensuring a healthier future for all. Their efforts inspire hope and save lives.
Sen. Shane Reeves, Sen. Heidi Campbell, Rep. Sam McKenzie, Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, Rep. Aftyn Behn, Rep. John Ray Clemmons, Rep. Bob Freeman, Rep. Sabi (Doc) Kumar, Rep. Ronnie Glynn, Rep. Gloria Johnson
Jen Fisher can do only so much to keep her son safe from the types of infections that children can encounter at school. The rest, she said, is up to other students and parents in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee.
Fisher’s son Raleigh, 12, lives with a congenital heart condition, which has left him with a weakened immune system. For his protection, Raleigh has received all the recommended vaccines for a child his age. But even with his vaccinations, a virus that might only sideline another child could sicken him and land him in the emergency room, Fisher said.
“We want everyone to be vaccinated so that illnesses like measles and things that have basically been eradicated don’t come back,” Fisher said. “Those can certainly have a very adverse effect on Raleigh.”
For much of Raleigh’s life, Fisher could take comfort in the high childhood vaccination rate in Tennessee — a public health bright spot in a conservative state with poor health outcomes and one of the shortest life expectancies in the nation.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – Philosopher and essayist George Santayana
This could soon be our reality, as it seems we’ve forgotten how far we’ve come in preventing serious diseases and saving lives.
Over 46% of children born in the 1800s did not make it to their fifth birthday.
Today, this number has dropped drastically, reaching its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just seven deaths per thousand births.
Most of these deaths in the 1800s were from infectious diseases, which have also significantly declined over the last century.
This is in large part thanks to vaccination and antibiotics created by medical science. In fact, vaccines have saved 154 million lives, including 146 million among children younger than 5 years old. Of those, 101 million were infants younger than 1 year old.
Dr. Leslie Treece is a practicing pediatrician in Cookeville, Tennessee with 25 years of experience in pediatric medicine. She also serves as the vice chair at Tennessee Medical Association Board of Trustees.
Many years ago, in a small but lively Tennessee town, lived a man named Harold. Harold was deeply skeptical and had seen many things in his day. Whenever anyone wanted to talk about vaccines, he would wave them off, saying “Bah! Mumbo jumbo!” He did not trust vaccines at all. He would say, “All I need to keep me healthy is good food, enough sleep, and a strong immune system. There are too many vaccines these days. It’s all mumbo jumbo!”
Emily Delikat, MPH, CPH is the Director of Tennessee Families for Vaccines a statewide, grassroots, pro-vaccine advocacy organization.
“This level of engagement would have been unimaginable a decade ago. Today’s pro-vaccine advocates are not just reactive but proactive, building coalitions and mobilizing at a scale that we firmly believe will not just rival but overtake the anti-vaccine movement.
…
This preparation is critical as we anticipate new challenges at the federal and state levels. While RFK Jr.’s nomination is profoundly concerning, it has also galvanized the pro-vaccine community, creating a sense of urgency and unity that will be essential in the years ahead.
Yes, the challenges are real, and my heart breaks as we consider the real lives, careers, promising innovations, and economies that will be hurt by anticipated losses to our national infrastructure for health. But our story doesn’t end here. Pro-vaccine advocates are stronger, savvier, and more ready than ever before.
In the same way that high immunization rates shield our families and communities from the spread of disease, a united majority of pro-vaccine advocates will help protect us against the policies that threaten our collective health and well-being. “
Caitlin Gilmet is the communications director for SAFE Communities Coalition, the nation’s leading pro-vaccine advocacy organization.
A helpful perspective from the Director of Arizona Families for Vaccines - "Kennedy’s messaging dangerously conflates good nutrition and physical fitness with immunity from disease, suggesting that vaccines and medicine are only necessary for those who aren’t “healthy.” While a balanced diet and regular exercise are vital to well-being, health also encompasses preventative medicine, including vaccinations. Vaccines are designed to prevent illness, keeping people healthy by shielding them from preventable diseases. By redefining “health” to exclude modern medicine, Kennedy misleads the public, starting with principles most people can agree on and ending in unscientific conclusions.
... It is essential that President Trump and MAHA advocates understand this balance and select leaders who recognize that a healthy America is one that embraces both diet and exercise as well as modern medicine."
Advocates Jen Fisher and Dr. Daniel McGinley are featured in this NBC Nightly News piece about decreasing vaccination rates.
Caroline Kennedy was critical of her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on vaccinations on the eve of his confirmation hearings for Secretary of Health and Human Services. It comes as vaccination rates for some diseases have been decreasing. NBC News' Erin McLaughlin reports.