The reality is that most Tennesseans understand the importance of vaccination not only in their personal health but also in protecting public health. We recognize that good public health policy is not just about personal choice; it's about safeguarding the health of our families and communities.

And we know that vaccines are one of the most effective tools for preventing the spread of infectious diseases and keeping Tennesseans safe because we have decades of scientific evidence to prove it.

Jason Goolsby, DO, FAAFP - Family physician at Brownsville Family Medicine in Brownsville, Tenn., and 2024 President of the Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians.

It all begins with an idea.Foster families have a responsibility and mission to improve the lives of the children in their care. To bring children into an environment where they are medically unprotected from conditions that can have lifelong repercussions is not responsible or loving.

Tennesseans are better than that. I urge our legislators to uphold the vaccine requirements for prospective foster families, for the sake of all our children.  

Erin Floyd is a foster parent who resides in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

"Even if your children aren’t attending school in-person right now, they still need to stay up to date on their immunizations. This will not only help keep our kids and our communities healthy and safe while attending camps, sports and other fun activities during the summer months, but will also set us up for a healthy and safe school year come August.”

Dr. Dorothy Sinard and Dr. Barbara Dentz are twin sisters, pediatricians and child health and safety advocates in Tennessee. The are the founders of Tennessee Families for Vaccines.ea.