News
CDC Director Announces Agency Overhaul to Respond Faster to Public Health Threats
Published
2 years agoon
By
New Yorker
The head of the nation’s top public health agency on Wednesday announced a shake-up of the organization, intended to make it more nimble.
The planned changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — CDC leaders call it a “reset”— come amid ongoing criticism of the agency’s response to COVID-19, monkeypox and other public health threats. The changes include internal staffing moves and steps to speed up data releases.
The CDC’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, told the agency’s staff about the changes on Wednesday. It’s a CDC initiative, and was not directed by the White House or other administration officials, she said.
“I feel like it’s my my responsibility to lead this agency to a better place after a really challenging three years,” Walensky told The Associated Press.
The CDC, with a $12 billion budget and more than 11,000 employees, is an Atlanta-based federal agency charged with protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats. It’s customary for each CDC director to do some reorganizing, but Walensky’s action comes amid a wider demand for change.
The agency has long been criticized as too ponderous, focusing on collection and analysis of data but not acting quickly against new health threats. But public unhappiness with the agency grew dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts said the CDC was slow to recognize how much virus was entering the U.S. from Europe, to recommend people wear masks, to say the virus can spread through the air, and to ramp up systematic testing for new variants.
“We saw during COVID that CDC’s structures, frankly, weren’t designed to take in information, digest it and disseminate it to the public at the speed necessary,” said Jason Schwartz, a health policy researcher at the Yale School of Public Health.
With monkeypox vaccines in short supply, there are restrictions on who can get them. But a Harvard doctor is calling out the CDC and New York City on their vaccine eligibility requirements, which are mostly focused on men who have recently had sex with a male partner. That perpetuates the idea that monkeypox is sexually transmitted, and focuses on particular groups rather than risk, Dr. Aditi Nerurkar says on LX News.
Walensky, who became director in January 2021, has long said the agency has to move faster and communicate better, but stumbles have continued during her tenure.
In April, she called for an in-depth review of the agency, which resulted in the announced changes. Her reorganization proposal must be approved by the Department of Health and Human Services secretary. CDC officials say they hope to have a full package of changes finalized, approved, and underway by early next year.
Some changes still are being formulated, but steps announced Wednesday include:
—Increasing use of preprint scientific reports to get out actionable data, instead of waiting for research to go through peer review and publication by the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
—Restructuring the agency’s communications office and further revamping CDC websites to make the agency’s guidance for the public more clear and easier to find.
—Altering the length of time agency leaders are devoted to outbreak responses to a minimum of six months — an effort to address a turnover problem that at times caused knowledge gaps and affected the agency’s communications.
—Creation of a new executive council to help Walensky set strategy and priorities.
—Appointing Mary Wakefield as senior counselor to implement the changes. Wakefield headed the Health Resources and Services Administration during the Obama administration and also served as the No. 2 administrator at HHS. Wakefield, 68, started Monday.
—Altering the agency’s organization chart to undo some changes made during the Trump administration.
—Establishing an office of intergovernmental affairs to smooth partnerships with other agencies, as well as a higher-level office on health equity.
Walensky also said she intends to “get rid of some of the reporting layers that exist, and I’d like to work to break down some of the silos.” She did not say exactly what that may entail, but emphasized that the overall changes are less about redrawing the organization chart than rethinking how the CDC does business and motivates staff.
“This will not be simply moving boxes” on the organization chart, she said.
Schwartz said flaws in the federal response go beyond the CDC, because the White House and other agencies were heavily involved.
A CDC reorganization is a positive step but “I hope it’s not the end of the story,” Schwartz said. He would like to see “a broader accounting” of how the federal government handles health crises.
Source: NBC New York
Beyond Borders: How The Mediapro Studio CEO Laura Fernández Espeso has Helped Transform Spain’s TV and Film Industry
Turkey’s local elections — and whoever wins Istanbul — could dictate the future of the country
Classic car collector: My Jaguar came into the workshop – now it’s gone
This is the way the West ends – Asia Times
Dad of Diddy’s Stepson Pleads For Him to ‘Come Home’ After FBI Raids
Baltimore Lost More Than a Bridge
King Charles Is ‘Utterly Determined’ to Show Unity Among the Royal Family Amid Health Battles
Los Angeles Theatre Week Provides Access to Affordable Productions
Living with an anti-reunification North Korea – Asia Times
Thousands of phones and routers swept into proxy service, unbeknownst to users
This is the way the West ends – Asia Times
Historian Calls Reconciliation ‘Unlikely’ for Prince Harry and the Royal Family amid Kate Middleton’s Cancer Announcement
Ryan Gosling Had a Hard Time Picking His Favorite Beatles Song
Taraji P. Henson Thought She Had No Chance Getting Cast in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’
Paul McCartney Has to ‘Split’ Himself in Half to Sing 1 ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Song
Trending
-
News22 hours ago
Luxury Home of the Week: A modernized Gothic Revival in Manchester-by-the-Sea for $4.99m
-
Auto22 hours ago
This Special Volkswagen Badge Keeps Kangaroos Away
-
Auto20 hours ago
The Porsche V-8 Engine Will Continue Into The Next Decade
-
Travel18 hours ago
Explore Mumbai in Style: Rent My Bike Introduces Luxury Bike Rentals for Discerning Travelers
-
Lifestyle23 hours ago
Mel B Recalls Telling Ex Stephen Belafonte About Her Suicide Attempt
-
Auto21 hours ago
Lamborghini Has a New Logo, Which Looks a Lot Like the Old Logo
-
Wellness16 hours ago
Is Masseter Botox Worth It? We Asked 8 People for Their Honest Reviews
-
Travel17 hours ago
Emirates embraces Easter onboard and in lounges