'California sticks with WHO as US exits'

 

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) affirmed his state’s continued departure from current federal health policy by announcing Friday that California will be the first state to join a World Health Organization (WHO) public health network.

The announcement came just one day after the U.S. officially withdrew from the organization.   During his visit to the World Economic Forum this week, Newsom’s office shared that he had met with the WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. This U.S.’s withdrawal from the WHO became official one year after President Trump initiated the process.    Trump had moved to withdraw from the WHO during his first term, but this did not pan out when he lost his first reelection bid.    “The Trump administration’s withdrawal from WHO is a reckless decision that will hurt all Californians and Americans. California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring,” Newsom said in a statement. “We will continue to foster partnerships across the globe and remain at the forefront of public health preparedness, including through our membership as the only state in WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network.”    This action aligns with how California has managed its public health response since the start of the second Trump administration, publicly moving away from federally backed policies and instead joining with independent public health collaborations.    Last year, California joined coalitions of states in launching the West Coast Health Alliance and the Governors Public Health Alliance to lead public health policies that diverge from those of the White House.    Trump cited “unfairly onerous payments” as part of the reason why he moved to withdraw from the WHO last year.    Tedros maintained that the U.S.’s withdrawal marks a “lose-lose” situation.    “It’s not really the right decision, I want to say bluntly, because I believe that there are many things that are done through WHO that benefits the U.S., and only the WHO does, and especially the health security issues,” he said. “That’s why I say the U.S. cannot be safe without working with the WHO.”  https://thehill.com/newsletters/health-care/5704159-california-sticks-with-who-as-us-exits/