CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Saying no to vaccines just got simpler in one Michigan county.

The St. Clair County Health Department announced on Jan. 23 that parents may now request nonmedical vaccine waivers at any time during normal business hours, ending the appointment requirement. The waiver is issued after parents review a brief educational handout, which the department says fulfills state rules.

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County officials said the changes are intended to simplify the exemption process and shift it online, part of a broader effort to restore confidence in public health decisions.

In a January memo, county medical director Remington Nevin criticized state administrative hurdles, arguing they make it harder for parents to use exemptions already permitted under Michigan law.

“These administrative requirements, while presented as educational, often create significant inconvenience,” Nevin wrote.

The department also updated its public messaging to remind families they may opt their children out of the state’s immunization database, the Michigan Care Improvement Registry, and instead maintain paper vaccination records.

The move, however, appears to be unusual among Michigan health departments.

“I’m not seeing any other health department take this approach,” Norm Hess of the Michigan Association for Public Health said.