Grandparents For Vaccines (GFV) has been named one of the new public health coalitions “standing up for science,” by Katelyn Jetelina, author of Your Local Epidemiologist. That recognition comes in the middle of the worst measles outbreak in more than 30 years, a moment when clear, trusted, pro-vaccine voices are not optional. They are essential.
Katelyn Jetelina lifts up Grandparents For Vaccines
In her article, “20 public health wins in 2025”, Jetelina highlights Grandparents For Vaccines as part of a new wave of public health leadership. She includes GFV as one of the “new coalitions formed nationwide, filling gaps, staying rooted in evidence, and working to ensure Americans feel confident and protected.”
That framing matters. It captures exactly what Grandparents For Vaccines is doing in this moment, showing up where trust has been eroded, grounding conversations in science, and centering protection when children are once again facing a preventable threat.
Measles is back—and this is what that tells us
The current measles outbreak is not a mystery. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States has reported the highest number of measles cases in more than three decades, surpassing levels not seen since the early 1990s (CDC measles data).
This resurgence is the predictable result of years of vaccine disinformation weakening routine prevention. Measles finds the cracks we have allowed to widen: undervaccinated communities, school settings, and families who were deliberately encouraged to doubt what once quietly kept children safe.
Why grandparents’ voices matter—especially now
Grandparents For Vaccines brings something uniquely powerful to this moment: memory and moral clarity. Many of these grandparents remember measles, polio, and other vaccine-preventable diseases not as historical footnotes, but as lived experience—fear, hospitalizations, long-term harm, and loss. They speak about vaccines not as talking points, but as acts of love and responsibility for their grandchildren.
A natural ally for school nurses
In school health offices, measles is never theoretical. It looks like exclusion letters, contact tracing, worried families, and medically vulnerable students depending on the immunity of those around them. When grandparents speak up for vaccines, they reinforce what school nurses have always done, extend public health beyond the clinic and into the places where real decisions happen: family group chats, kitchen tables, faith communities, and neighborhoods.
Why I stepped up as a New Jersey State Leader
I am one of the New Jersey State Leaders with Grandparents For Vaccines because silence is not neutral. As a school nurse, I see the consequences of disinformation land directly on children. As a grandparent, I know that protecting kids is not abstract; it is personal.
State Leaders help organize local conversations, support pro-vaccine storytelling, and serve as visible, trusted advocates for science and child health. This is not about politics. It is about prevention, protection, and refusing to let disinformation do harm unchecked.
If we care about children growing up protected from preventable disease, this is the moment to move from quiet agreement to visible action. Their health and safety depend on it.
How to Take Action for Children
1. Learn and stay grounded in evidence
Visit Grandparents For Vaccines to learn more about the mission, access resources, and stay connected to credible vaccine information.
2. Share your story
Personal experience cuts through misinformation. Grandparents For Vaccines collects and amplifies stories that remind people what vaccine-preventable disease looks like—and why prevention matters.
https://www.grandparentsforvaccines.org/get-involved
3. Support schools and school nurses
Advocate for strong vaccination policies, speak up at school board meetings, and publicly support school nurses who are navigating outbreaks, exclusions, and family concerns in real time.
4. Organize a local conversation
Host or join respectful, evidence-based discussions in community spaces—book clubs, faith groups, senior centers, or neighborhood gatherings—where trust already exists.
5. Step into leadership
If you want to do more, consider becoming a State Leader or volunteer organizer.
Express interest or ask questions here: https://www.grandparentsforvaccines.org/contact.
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