NEW YORK — The heads of America's premier public health agencies Wednesday announced reforms aimed at making their organizations more agile.
Planned changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — CDC leaders call it a “reset” — will be , amid continued criticism of the agency's response toand other public health threats. Changes include internal staffing changes and procedures to speed up data release.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told agency staff about the change on Wednesday. She said this was a CDC initiative and not directed by the White House or other government officials. I feel it is my responsibility to lead," Wallenski told the Associated Press.
With a budget of $12 billion and her more than 11,000 employees, the CDC is the Atlanta-based federal agency that protects Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats. I have a duty to protect you. While it is customary for each CDC director to make some sort of restructuring, Wallenski's actions came within a broader demand for change.
has long been criticized for being too heavy-handed for not acting swiftly in response to new health threats. increased dramatically during the pandemic .Experts said the CDC was aware of the amount of virus that entered the United States from Europe, advised people to wear masks, said the virus could spread through the air, and tested new variants. It took time to strengthen the systematic testing.
"Frankly, we learned during the COVID outbreak that the structure of the CDC was not designed to take information, digest it, and disseminate it to the public at the speed needed." Public Health of Yale University.
Wallenski, who took over as director in January 2021, has long said agencies need to move faster and communicate better. I kept stumbling.
In April, she sought a detailed review of her agency, resulting in the announcement of changes. Her reorganization proposal must be approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. CDC officials say they hope to have the full package of changes finalized, approved, and on track by early next year.
Some changes are still being worked out, but the steps announced Wednesday are:
- Instead of waiting for research to go through peer review and publication, According to the CDC journal's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which increases the use of preprinted scientific reports to obtain actionable data.
- Agency Communications Her office will be restructured and the CDC website will be further revamped to make agency guidance for the public clearer and easier to find.
— Change the period of time agency leaders devote to the outbreak response to at least six months attempt.
— Creation of a new Executive Council to help Wallenski set strategy and priorities.
— Appoint Mary Wakefield as her Senior Counselor to implement the changes. Wakefield led the Department of Health Resource Services during the Obama administration and served as second director of HHS. Wakefield, 68, started Monday.
— change her agency's org chart to undo several changes made during the Trump administration.
- Establish an Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to facilitate partnerships with other agencies, and a Higher Level Office on Health Equity.
Wallenski also said, "We're going to remove some of the existing reporting layers, and we want to work to break down some of the silos." She didn't say exactly what that would entail, but the overall change isn't to redraw the org chart, but to rethink how the CDC does business and motivates its staff.
"This is more than just moving boxes on the org chart," she said.
Schwartz said the flaws in the federal response extend beyond the CDC, as the White House and other agencies were heavily involved.
While the reorganization of the CDC is a positive step, "I hope that's not the end of the story," Schwartz said. He would like to see a "broader explanation" of how the federal government will deal with the health crisis. It is supported by the Institute's Science Education Department. AP is solely responsible for all content. Please contact
