(CNN)Big changes are coming to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The center recently celebrated his 75th anniversary as a leading public institution in the United States. health agency.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky met with senior officials at the agency this morning to explain her plan to overhaul the way the agency works. She plans to reshape the culture so agencies can act more quickly when responding to public health crises. She also wants to make it easier for other departments of government to work with her CDC, and wants to simplify and streamline the website to remove duplicate and conflicting public health guidance.
Staff will be notified of the change by email. Headquartered in Atlanta, the agency employs more than 12,000 people.
The change is intended to improve culture and restore public confidence after the authorities' perceived failure in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reform follows a period of review and reflection at the CDC. In April, Wallenski announced that Jim McRae, deputy administrator for primary health care at the Department of Health Resources Services, would lead a month-long review of the agency's Covid-19 response efforts. She ordered her three agents to review the operation and recommend strategic changes. Wallenski is meeting in person with a group of staff as they return to the office after months of remote work.
This course correction comes after a significant setback in government agency response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The United States had little capacity to test for infections in the early months of the pandemic. This is largely because the agency released flawed tests to the Public Health Lab. It blinded the country for months to the extent of the spread of the virus.
, has been criticized throughout the pandemic. Many felt they weren't moving fast enough to react.
Wallenski brought former HHS Deputy Commissioner Mary Wakefield to her CDC to oversee the reorganization. come.
Major organizational changes announced today include:
• In a move aimed at improving accountability for providing timely information, the Laboratory The Science Division and Office of Science report to his CDC Director.
• New Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to serve as a hub for state health departments and other federal agencies to interact with CDC
• New Executive Council - Reports to Director - Agencies
• New Equity Office to set priorities, track progress and coordinate budget decisions focused on public health impact. Increase the diversity of the CDC workforce and add its lens to public health work
• The CDC will develop its guidance document and website '
Wallenski Al to that effect, including requiring jurisdictions to share data. We are going to ask Congress to give us the power. Currently, CDC relies on states and counties to voluntarily do so.
She also intends to seek new flexibility in agency funding: currently, if Congress allocates funds to her CDC, the funds will not be spent on specific programs. I have to. This created over 150 individual budget lines to fund agencies. This can be a problem during public health emergencies. When the Ebola epidemic began in 2014, then-CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden had to borrow money from other branches of the federal government for the response.
"We literally didn't have the cost of a plane ticket or a daily allowance to send staff to the field.
"Literally, as Director of Health in New York City, as Director of the CDC. We had 20 times the flexible dollar," Frieden said in his interview with CNN. Frieden now heads the nonprofit He Resolve to Save Lives.
Some of these changes have already begun, including the reorganization of government agency communications operations.
Earlier this year, the CDC filled a long-vacant position by hiring Kevin Griffiths, a public relations veteran for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Family Planning Service, to spearhead communications efforts. Part of his job, in addition to communicating health information for the CDC, is managing "agency risk communication and reputational issues," according to the CDC's website. The agency has had no head of communications for him for four years, according to a senior official with knowledge of the changes, who is not authorized to speak to the press.
The final draft of Macrae's review is out today. Here are the main recommendations:
• Share scientific findings and data faster
• Do a better job of translating science into actionable and understandable policy
• Public Prioritize hygiene Communication
• De-emphasize publication of scientific findings for career advancement
• Allow multiple people to play the same role in public health emergencies , new training for government officials
