As Connecticut prepares for the 2026 legislative session, healthcare policy will take center stage. This special series from CTHealthNews.com features leading state policymakers outlining their top healthcare priorities for the year ahead. These insights offer a direct window into the public sector’s role in addressing cost, access, equity, and innovation across Connecticut’s healthcare system.

We continue the series with Dr. Manisha Juthani, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.  Dr. Juthani is the first Indian American to serve as a state commissioner in Connecticut. A Yale-trained infectious disease expert and former professor, she played a key leadership role in the state’s COVID-19 response and assumed the DPH post in 2021. Since then, she has expanded focus to urgent public health priorities, including gun violence, maternal health, opioid use, and STDs. Her guiding vision - “Preserve and Protect Core Public Health Principles and Services” - emphasizes regulatory oversight, environmental health, vaccine education, and health equity. Dr. Juthani continues to promote health as a human right while reinforcing the importance of accurate communication, disease prevention, and supporting healthier communities across Connecticut through data, collaboration, and public trust.

As respiratory virus season is upon us and people spend more time indoors, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and I encourage all Connecticut residents to make sure they are up to date on their seasonal vaccines, especially older individuals and those with multiple medical conditions. Vaccination against COVID-19, RSV, and Influenza remains the most effective defense to prevent severe disease outcomes and significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization and death.  

We want to ensure every resident in Connecticut has the information and resources they need to protect their families and loved ones this cold and flu season. We cannot predict which respiratory viral infection will be most prevalent this season, but we can protect our families against them and potential severe complications by getting vaccinated this fall. We now have years of experience to say that our available immunizations for COVID-19, RSV, and influenza help people stay in school and work and save lives.   

In September, DPH released interim 2025-2026 vaccine guidance based on evidence-based recommendations from professional and expert medical organizations, such as the recently released guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).  We are grateful that under the leadership of Governor Lamont, we are working in partnership with the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) and the Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) to maintain access to and coverage of vaccines for those that choose to take them. Link to Governor Lamont’s Press Release with CID and DCP Guidance. 

At DPH, it's our duty to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut, and during these times of federal changes and uncertainty, we are taking action to do so. Since the beginning of 2025, northeast states have been collaborating on best practices as we navigate changes in public health funding and priorities from the federal government. Earlier this fall, several DPH personnel and I participated in a regional meeting of public health officials, where neighboring states shared how they were taking action to meet the needs of our residents at a time of federal health restructuring and cuts. Public health challenges extend beyond state lines, making collaboration essential for effective response and prevention efforts. These conversations are nothing new and are invaluable, especially now. States regularly share successful evidence-based strategies, discuss best practices for maximizing the effectiveness of our resources, and collaborate on a range of topics from emergency preparedness to infectious diseases prevention.  

I am also taking additional steps to shore up our commitment to public health during this time of upheaval. This month, I assembled an advisory committee to work with me on matters relating to recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal Food and Drug Administration using evidence-based data from peer-reviewed literature and studies. Several invited professionals in Connecticut’s medical, research, and vaccination fields agreed to join the advisory committee, and our first public meeting was held on September 22. I look forward to ongoing discussions with this group on changes at the federal level regarding vaccines and other public health recommendations to ensure that we continue to provide the best care and guidance to the people of Connecticut. 

This upcoming legislative session, our priority is to preserve and protect public health, particularly access to vaccinations for those that want them, and I am grateful to live in a state where our leadership agrees. Last session, a law was passed requiring public water systems in Connecticut to maintain the existing levels of fluoride used in water supplies under the recommendation currently prescribed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). My hope is we can continue to take actions like this that provide our state with defense should federal standards change. Here at DPH and in Connecticut, our values are clear, and we will always advocate for long standing public health interventions that have helped save lives and stood the test of time.