Danielle Passalacqua

Good Afternoon, My name is Danielle and I am a registered school nurse in Hollis, NH. I am here today to express my strong opposition to HB 1584, which would require prominent warnings about exemptions on all state vaccine materials and deem any written statement sufficient for religious exemptions. As a school nurse, I am responsible for the health and safety of every child in our schools. I work every day to prevent illness, reduce absenteeism, and protect vulnerable students from infectious diseases. Vaccines are one of the most effective tools we have to do this. They protect not only individual children, but entire classrooms and communities. HB 1584 Would Undermine Public Health Messaging HB 1584 mandates that state vaccine materials include prominent warnings about exemptions. This change would shift the focus away from disease prevention and evidence-based recommendations, and toward potential loopholes. Health communications should be clear, accurate, and supportive of healthy choices, not framed in a way that subtly promotes exemption. When families are confronted with large, caution-style warnings about exemptions, it can create fear, confusion, and hesitation, even when the science strongly supports vaccination. Vaccines are safe, effective, and recommended by medical experts precisely because they protect children from serious illness. Lower Barriers to Exemptions Will Increase Exemption Rates By declaring that any written statement is sufficient for a religious exemption, this bill removes meaningful standards for claiming exemptions. In practice, this will likely lead to higher exemption rates statewide. Experience from other states has shown that easier exemption processes correlate with increased exemption rates and decreased vaccination coverage. When vaccination coverage declines, herd immunity weakens, putting our most vulnerable children, such as infants, immunocompromised students, and those with chronic medical conditions, at risk. Higher Exemptions = Higher Risk of Outbreaks Increased exemptions directly correlate with increased risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, pertussis (whooping cough), and mumps. These diseases are far from benign: Measles can lead to hospitalization, encephalitis (brain swelling), and death. Pertussis is especially dangerous for infants and can cause life-threatening coughing spells. Mumps can cause deafness, meningitis, and pain. When immunization rates fall, these diseases can spread rapidly through schools and communities. Every outbreak diverts public health, school, and family resources and causes unnecessary suffering. Public Health Education Should Empower, Not Coerce, but Not Mislead Educating about exemptions is appropriate, but framing exemptions as equally acceptable choices without context undermines public health and puts children at greater risk. For these reasons, I respectfully urge the committee to vote no on HB 1584: It would undermine effective public health communication. It would lower the threshold for claiming exemptions. It would likely increase exemption rates and reduce vaccination coverage. It would make outbreaks of preventable diseases more likely. As a school nurse, I work every day to keep students safe and healthy. This bill moves us in the opposite direction. Thank you, Danielle