The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will undergo a major change after being criticized for its handling of the monkeypox emergency.
In an email seen by The New York Times, the director of the CDC said that their performance did not meet expectations in their big moment.
The CDC was undermined and interfered with by the Trump administration, but many of the agency's mistakes were not caused by malice. Walensky acknowledged the failures in a meeting with senior staff.
Pedantic data analyses have slowed the agency's public health responses. The goal of the CDC is to produce data for action rather than data for publication, according to a document provided to the Times. The agency will reduce the time it takes to review studies before they are released. The way in which the agency gives promotions to staff will be changed to focus more on public health impact.
AdvertisementImproving health messaging to the public will be one of the CDC's priorities. Communication in the future will be easy to comprehend.
Structural changes will now be reported to Walensky's office by two scientific divisions. A new executive council will be created which will report to Walensky. The council will use a "bias toward public health impact" to set agency priorities. An equity office will be included in the changes. Emergency response teams will be expanded and members will be required to stay for at least six months. Previously, staff members were allowed to leave their teams after just a few months.
Mary Wakefield, an Obama-era health official, was appointed to lead a team to implement and oversee the agency's overhauled. Currently, the CDC doesn't have the power to require more data from states and localities. According to reports, Walensky wants Congress to mandate data sharing with the CDC.
Walensky ordered an external review of the agency in April after receiving the results. Interviews were done with 120 CDC staff and external experts.
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