Midwife Who Falsified Vaccine Records for More Than 1,000 School Children Fined $300,000

Jeanette Breen operated a clinic in Nassau County

A New York midwife has been fined after falsifying the vaccination records of more than 1,000 school children after administering them and others oral pellets which she falsely claimed were a viable alternative to vaccines.

Jeanette Breen, a licensed midwife who operated a clinic in Nassau County, gave thousands of the pellets to the children since 2019, the New York State Department of Health's Bureau of Investigations found, per a press release.

Breen’s “scheme” started in the 2019-2020 school year as she began administering “a series of oral pellets” as an alternative to vaccines. The “homeopathic pellets” she administered are “not authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Department as an immunizing agent against any disease,” per the Health Department.

Among the vaccinations she falsified include tetanus, hepatitis B, measles and polio.

Breen was determined to have broken the state’s Immunization Registry Law and was fined $300,000 as a penalty by the Health Department.

In a statement, State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said that they are “committed to upholding the highest standards of health and well-being within our educational institutions."

“By intentionally falsifying immunization records for students, this licensed health care professional not only endangered the health and safety of our school communities but also undermined public trust,” Rosa’s statement continued. “We are pleased to have worked with our partners in government to bring this wrongdoer to justice.”

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The false records submitted by Breen have been “deleted” by the state health department, and the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS) is contacting the parents and guardians of children affected by the scheme, per the release.

The children will be required to receive all the “age-appropriate vaccinations” they’re missing in order to attend school in-person.

Breen has paid $150,000 of the $300,000 penalty. She won’t be responsible for the remainder as long as meets requirements set out by the investigation, including refraining from administering vaccinations that must be reported to the NYSIIS and accessing the system itself.

Multiple large-scale studies have found that vaccines are safe. There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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