A Long Island midwife has recently admitted to falsifying over 12,500 vaccination records for children, deceiving parents and putting students across New York schools in danger amid recent outbreaks.
Midwife Admits to Swapping Vaccines for Homeopathic Pellets
Jeanette Breen, a licensed midwife operating in Baldwin, has admitted to giving homeopathic pellets to around 1,500 children instead of FDA-approved vaccinations like MMR and DTaP according to court documents. She then falsified state records to show the students had been properly vaccinated.
The scam went undetected for years until schools requested updated immunization records from Breen and grew suspicious at the formatting of her documents.
“It was at that point that they started to look critically at those records, and then consequently found out through the course of the investigation, unfortunately, that the children that were noted as being immunized on those cards, in fact, had not received an immunization,” said New York Health Commissioner James McDonald.
Many schools and parents were completely unaware as they believed their students’ records, signed by a licensed professional, were accurate.
Midwife Faces $300k in Fines, Further Charges Possible
The New York Department of Health has issued Breen over $300,000 in fines for professional misconduct and provided falsified immunization records. However, she may face further civil or criminal charges for endangering public health.
“Additional charges are pending based on the falsified records,” said the health department in a statement. “Any licensed health care provider found to have submitted falsified immunization records or to have administered medicines they are not authorized to will be disciplined accordingly.”
Prosecutors are urging anyone in the New York City metro area who received vaccination records from Breen to contact their local health department immediately to confirm their accuracy.
Over 600 Long Island Students Impacted, Full Scope Still Unclear
So far investigators have identified over 600 students across Long Island schools that had falsified vaccination records from Breen, but the full scope is still unknown.
Records have been invalidated across three Long Island counties – Nassau, Suffolk and Queens. However, the midwife was licensed to operate in eight counties statewide, meaning thousands more records could potentially be fraudulent.
“I have a lot of concern for the children that have been affected,” said McDonald, adding that additional investigators are being deployed to assess the situation.
| County | Number of Impacted Students |
|---|---|
| Nassau | 453 |
| Suffolk | 176 |
| Queens | 78 |
Health departments statewide are now reviewing all vaccination records submitted by Breen over decades of practice, a lengthy process expected to impact school registration in the years ahead.
Students Unable to Register Without Valid Records
Hundreds of Long Island students have already been told they can not register for school in September without valid proof of vaccination.
Rebecca Jones, a mother from Levittown whose son recently started kindergarten, told reporters she felt “betrayed” after relying on Breen’s immunization records.
“All of a sudden I get a call saying his immunization records aren’t valid? I have no idea if he even got the MMR vaccine or anything. I trusted this woman, I could cry just thinking about it. Now registration for next year is coming up and I have no records,” Jones lamented.
School districts are encouraging parents to contact both their healthcare provider and county health departments as soon as possible to track down valid records or get re-vaccinated if necessary before next school year.
Midwife Claims “Moral Objection” to Vaccines
While Breen has admitted to falsifying records and failing to administer required immunizations, she has shown no contrition – claiming a “moral objection” against vaccination in official statements.
“I have a moral, ethical and philosophical objection to vaccines that may contain cell lines from aborted fetal tissue or other animal tissue,” Jeanette Breen told reporters. “I believe in personal choice over government mandate when it comes to healthcare.”
However, legal experts say her personal views do not excuse failing to inform parents or falsifying medical documents. She also as a licensed midwife violated standard medical practices and state health codes requiring vaccination for school registration.
Breen voluntarily surrendered her license, but had it been reviewed at a state disciplinary hearing it could have been permanently revoked.
Health Officials Concerned Over Measles, Mumps Outbreaks
The false vaccination records come amid concerning outbreaks of measles, mumps and other preventable illnesses that have swept college campuses and K-12 schools in recent years.
Health investigators have tracked many outbreak origins to international travel combined with low vaccination rates in certain Orthodox Jewish or immigrant communities. However, falsified or out-of-date records also pose a wider public health risk.
“This situation with the midwife is very troubling, because it further undermines trust in the integrity of immunization records,” said Acting Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. Celine Gounder.
The full scope of students and schools impacted may spur localized health emergencies if vaccination rates have secretly been much lower than records indicated in certain areas.
State health officials say they are working closely with county departments to contain any outbreaks through quarantine orders or temporarily excluding unvaccinated students if necessary.
What Should Impacted Families Do?
For parents that suspect their child’s vaccination record may have been falsified by the Baldwin midwife, health officials recommend the following:
- Contact your healthcare provide and request they submit an accurate copy of your child’s vaccine history to your county health department
- Check with your county health department if accurate records can not be located
- Make an appointment to get re-vaccinated if no records can confirm your child’s immunization history
- Provide updated, validated immunization records to your child’s school district
- Continue checking for updates with local health departments on impacts to school registration for next year
With thousands of students impacted across multiple counties, resolving the matter is expected to be a lengthy process. But officials are urging parents to take action now before new outbreaks can occur or their child faces barriers entering school in the 2024-2025 academic year.
While the revelations about the midwife’s years-long scheme to distribute fake vaccine records have certainly raised concerns, investigators say there is no reason to panic yet. By working constructively with health providers and school districts, impacted families can correct their records to get back on track.
Still, the incident shows holes in the student immunization records process that allowed such large-scale deception. State legislators have already proposed updated laws to improve tracking and security around vaccination data. Healthcare providers may also face increased scrutiny of immunization history documents they distribute to schools on behalf of parents.
With better safeguards and cooperation between educators, doctors and health departments, officials believe students can be protected from similar fraud going forward. But it will likely take years to unravel the damage already enacted on thousands of children’s medical histories and community immunity levels hidden beneath the surface.
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