PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Department of Health, in collaboration with several other departments of health, officially announced the Northeast Public Health Collaborative today.

The collaborative includes Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The group, according to RIDOH, was informally established early this year, and Rhode Island hosted its first in-person meeting in August.

The collaborative says they will work together in new ways to ensure trust in public health including strengthening confidence in vaccines.