DENVER — Governor Jared Polis today announced that Colorado will pursue joining the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). With the United States withdrawal now official, Colorado will work to engage more directly with the WHO to ensure that cutting edge health science can benefit Coloradans. This comes after the United States withdrew from the WHO in January, which the Governor spoke out against.
“We want to learn from health science around the world to help make sure Coloradans can get the most advanced and effective treatments for diseases. The unfortunate United States’ withdrawal from WHO reduced the ability of states to access global public health data. Disease does not stop at the borders, and preparedness depends on timely information and partnerships. Colorado is taking positive and immediate steps to ensure doctors and hospitals are better connected to global early-warning systems and scientific expertise so we can better protect Coloradans,” said Governor Jared Polis.
“Colorado has built one of the strongest state public health systems in the country. Connecting to a global early-warning network ensures our experts have access to the best available science and real-time intelligence to protect communities across our state,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
“Infectious diseases can emerge anywhere and spread quickly. Access to coordinated global surveillance and rapid technical collaboration helps us identify risks sooner and respond with precision,” said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist. “Colorado has deep expertise in epidemiology, laboratory science, genomic sequencing, and wastewater surveillance. Participation in a global outbreak network allows us to both stay informed about emerging threats and support responses worldwide.”
GOARN is a WHO-coordinated global partnership of more than 360 public health institutions, laboratories, and response organizations that work together to detect, verify, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies. Participation would connect Colorado's public health experts to real-time global outbreak alerts, technical expertise, and coordinated response support.
Participation in GOARN would strengthen Colorado’s ability to monitor emerging threats and contribute its own public health expertise to international response efforts. Colorado brings robust epidemiologic capacity, advanced laboratory infrastructure, genomic sequencing, wastewater surveillance systems, and experienced emergency response coordination that all align with GOARN’s operational mission.
In October, Colorado became a founding member of the Governors Public Health Alliance (GPHA), a nonpartisan coalition of governors working together to strengthen preparedness, expand coordination across state lines, and serve as a cross-state liaison with the global health community. Following the U.S. withdrawal from WHO, the Governors Public Health Alliance announced a new coordinated effort with Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases to use information from BEACON – the Biothreats Emergence, Analysis, and Communications Network for disease tracking and to inform coordinated responses. Colorado will continue to engage with GPHA and its partners like the Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases to safeguard public health, enhance cross-state data exchange, and coordinate evidence-based responses to emerging health threats.
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