Blistering CDC report says the agency cannot go on like this — it's too slow, not diverse, and not very good at giving public health advice

The CDC needs to change according to a new independent review.

The report was released by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and was led by a long time Department of Health and Human Services administrator. The CDC didn't live up to the task of delivering clear, thoughtful, and helpful guidance through the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The CDC is not diverse enough in its leadership, struggles with retention of top talent, and is not as focused on health equity as it should be.

According to the authors of the report, the agency can improve, to work faster, communicate better, and retain a diverse pool of top talent that looks more like America.

Director Walensky said in a statement that the CDC and public health have been preparing for a long time. Our performance did not meet expectations.

In order to assess the CDC, the team interviewed 120 CDC staff, as well as dozens of others working outside the agency.

Americans who've been trying to make sense of shifting COVID-19 guidance from the CDC for more than two years will not be surprised by the findings.

The report states that it takes too long for the CDC to publish its data and science.

8 steps to take — including plain language, speed, and diversity 

Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

The report states that the CDC needs to be better.

1. Use more "plain language" that doesn't confuse or overwhelm the public: make the website easier to navigate, draft more FAQs, and put the "primary emphasis" on the public in all communications. 
2. Speed up: scientific review processes need to be faster, lab data needs to be available more quickly, and a new "pre-publication" system should be set up online, so information is publicly available sooner. 
3. Produce data for action (not just for publication.)
4. Diversify, and build a new equity office: "A CDC that looks more like America will be better positioned to respond to outbreaks."
5. Improve retention, including more "competitive salaries" for "hard to fill positions like data scientists." 
6. Move money faster during emergencies. 
7. Reduce paperwork.
8. Mandate more data collection from jurisdictions across the country (like case numbers for monkeypox and COVID outbreaks from states and territories.) 

There are other urgent actions the agency should take to improve the health of the country, including a bigger focus on health equity across all federal public health work, and a commitment to eliminating health disparity due to environmental, social, economic, or systemic injustice in the US.

"As a long time admirer of this agency and a champion for public health, I want us all to do better."

I want to create a new, public health action oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication, and timeliness.