A Vaccine Injury Clinic Could Hurt the NIH Hospital, Board Warns

The board overseeing a hospital at the National Institutes of Health has cautioned that a vaccine injury clinic associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could do lasting damage to the institution.

Board chair Jack Leslie framed the concern around public confidence. "Trust is slow to build and quick to lose," he said. For a research hospital that relies on patients, clinical studies and the goodwill of the public, that observation points to the core of the worry: even a program that is only loosely connected to the hospital could shape how people see it.

The initial report does not spell out how the clinic would be structured, what services it would offer, or which specific risks the board identified. Without those details, it is unclear how the warning would translate into day-to-day operations or whether the board expects changes to the arrangement. We will update this story if more information becomes available.