On Dec. 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a significant shift in vaccine policy. The federal health agency will no longer recommend that newborn babies receive Hepatitis B vaccinations. For over three decades, the CDC universally recommended this shot.
This change in policy came on advice from its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which “develops recommendations on the use of vaccines in the civilian population of the United States,” per the CDC website. “CDC sets the U.S. adult and childhood immunization schedules based on recommendations from ACIP.”
Per the Common Health Coalition, a public health nonprofit, ACIP also voted to recommend that “parents should consult with clinicians to consider an antibody blood test before dose 2 and/or dose 3 of the hepatitis B vaccine series to help determine whether additional doses are needed…Notably, scientists do not know what antibody level guarantees long-term protection for babies, especially after just one dose, so this test cannot reliably tell families whether their child is protected.”
The CDC falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Human Services, currently led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Deputy Secretary James O’Neill, who previously worked for HHS during the George W. Bush administration.
Kennedy Jr. has more claims to fame than just his family history. He campaigned as a Democrat in the last presidential election before leaving the party to launch a third-party bid, eventually withdrawing and endorsing Donald Trump – a major political shift for the former environmental lawyer and activist. Trump described Kennedy Jr. as a “Radical Left Liberal” just three months before receiving the endorsement.
But the eco-lawyer turned health secretary has remained consistent on one issue: his claims of links between vaccinations and autism, directly alleging that vaccines cause autism. In June, he told former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson that the hepatitis B vaccine is a “likely culprit,” also denying that hepatitis B is “casually contagious.” Both claims have been broadly pushed back against by health experts.
CDC guidelines are what set the tone nationally, but it falls on local medical providers to inform their communities in more depth about recommended health choices. In October, several Central Oregon providers joined forces to release a PSA, “Here to Listen 2,” that has been running as a commercial on local TV channels.
“We want you to know. Vaccines are still safe and effective,” said Dr. Jessica Morgan of Praxis Health.
“They save millions of lives each year,” said Dr. Richard Fawcett of Deschutes County Health Services.
Dr. Logan Clausen of Central Oregon Pediatric Associates and St. Charles Family Medicine’s Dr. Mathew Snodgrass concluded that vaccines “are vital for protecting the most vulnerable among us.”
The Source reached out to involved health providers for further comment.
St. Charles Health System stated that they “continue to follow West Coast Health Alliance, which recommends Hep B shots.” The WHCA is a “partnership between California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington to ensure that public health recommendations are guided by safety, efficacy, transparency, access, and trust,” per its website.
In a press release, WHCA stated, “Delaying the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine and using blood tests to guide vaccination will lead to more children and adults developing preventable liver disease and liver cancer with no evidence of a safety benefit. A review by the Vaccine Integrity Project found that the vaccine is safe regardless of when it is given… Delaying the first dose increases the risk of infection and jeopardizes completion of the full vaccine series, which is required for long-lasting protection. Many with chronic hepatitis B do not know they are infected… The birth dose acts as a critical safety net to protect newborns from infection.”
Chief Health Officer of Mosaic Community Health Bernadette Thomas told the Source that Mosaic’s Central Oregon health centers will also follow the WHCA guidelines over federal ones. “This scientific, evidence-based strategy has reduced pediatric hepatitis B infections in the United States by 99%,” she said.
“Deschutes County Health Services continues to recommend the hepatitis B birth dose, wherein the first dose of the series is given within 24 hours of birth per Oregon Health Authority guidelines,” said Sarah Van Meter, the county’s immunization program coordinator. “This recommendation is in alignment with trusted national medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.”
Praxis Health did not provide a comment by time of publication.
“Our voices are more powerful together. We want our community to see that health care providers in Central Oregon stand together,” said Dr. Carey Allen, St. Charles’ clinical division director of primary care medicine.
Editor’s Note: Updated to include response from Deschutes County Health Services.
This article appears in the Source December 18, 2025.
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