The State of New York released its Excelsior Pass Blueprint, which Governor Kathy Hochul described as “a national framework to aid in the development and implementation of digital health credentials.”
In a press release, Gov. Hochul’s office said the blueprint builds off the state’s Excelsior Pass Wallet solution, which includes Excelsior Pass, Excelsior Pass Plus, and the Excelsior Pass Scanner app for businesses. The governor’s office said that the blueprint “serves as a guide to assist other states, territories, and entities in the expansion of compatible COVID-19 vaccine credential systems to advance economic development efforts nationwide – safely and securely.”
“If we’re to finally beat COVID-19, we have to act boldly, decisively and with a spirit of collaboration and transparency,” Gov. Hochul said. “Our Excelsior Pass program is the perfect example of this, with its positive impact on our economy and unique ability to empower New Yorkers to be more in control of their health information than ever before. Our hope is that more states will join us to drive our collective reopening activities forward so we can emerge from an unprecedented pandemic safer, stronger, and more interconnected than ever before.”
The blueprint includes the state’s process to build, implement, and advance the Excelsior Pass platform. The document includes a step-by-step guide for state governments, that covers common challenges facing state governments including privacy and security strategy, data management, and public information and engagement.
The governor’s office also noted that the Blueprint details the importance of compatible solutions that enable interoperability using SMART Health Cards Framework and specifications, “meaning [vaccine] Passes issued by different States or entities, issued through a shared set of standards, can be validated and accepted without exchanging individual data.”
To further help states, New York State is hosting a series of virtual events and webinars to provide interested parties with additional tools and resources. New York said it is also actively working with other U.S. states to provide technical support, including architecture information and instructional logic.
