A midwife from New York has been fined US$300,000 (nearly C$403,240) for falsifying vaccine records and supplying nearly 1,500 school-aged children with homeopathic pellets instead of mandatory vaccines.
Jeanette Breen, a licensed midwife from Nassau County in New York state, distributed the pellets in place of vaccines for hepatitis, measles and polio, among other illnesses, according to the state’s department of health.
The authority said Breen submitted just short of 12,500 false vaccine records to the New York State Immunization Information System.
Beginning in 2019, Breen provided her school-aged patients, aged 4 to 18, with homeopathic, orally administered pellets instead of a vaccination. The pellets were provided to Breen from an out-of-state homeopath.
The pellets are not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the department of health for immunization purposes.
Breen’s “vaccination scheme,” as the department of health calls it, began prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and did not include COVID vaccines.
Breen’s falsification began three months after the state declared only those with medical exemptions could forgo required school immunization. Prior to 2019, students could remain in school if a vaccination was turned down for religious reasons. The change came after the U.S. faced the most severe measles outbreak in decades.
The children who were given pellets from Breen have had their immunization records voided. Those affected must have all of their age-appropriate immunizations — or be in the process of obtaining all of their immunizations — before they can return to school.
School mandated vaccinations are required in New York’s public, private and religious school systems.
The health department is currently working to identify and contact all affected schools, of which there are over 300. The school is then required to alert the affected student’s parents or guardian of the necessary vaccinations for their child.
Erin Clary, a public information officer with the state’s health department, told NBC News that the parents or guardians of children who had their records falsified likely “sought out and paid Breen” for the service.
Breen has not commented publicly, though her lawyer assured NBC News that Breen “fully cooperated” in the investigation and is ready to move on.
“Suffice it to say, Ms. Breen has provided excellent midwifery services for many years to many families, especially on Long Island. She is now toward the end of her career,” lawyer David Eskew said in a statement to the Associated Press. “From her perspective, this matter is over, done with, and closed and she is now moving on with her life.”
Breen’s vaccine scheme affected children in New York State, with most cases in Long Island, though some children were affected as far away as Erie County in western New York.
“Misrepresenting or falsifying vaccine records puts lives in jeopardy and undermines the system that exists to protect public health,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a press release.
The New York Department of Health said it is continuing its investigation into the incident, as well as other similar instances.
State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said Breen’s malpractice “not only endangered the health and safety of our school communities but also undermined public trust.”
The list of immunizations falsified by Breen includes vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, chickenpox, meningitis and various influenzas.
The department of health said the US$300,000 settlement with Breen is the first of its kind for widespread falsification of vaccination records.
Breen has already paid US$150,000 (about C$201,540) of the monetary penalty. The remaining US$150,000 has been suspended, contingent on Breen’s compliance with state laws and that she never again administers any immunization that must be reported to the state.
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