CDC plans to overhaul structure, recover reputation

Editor's Note

On Wednesday, August 18, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky shared planned changes with CDC leadership and staff to “transform” the agency and its  culture, with the goal of "improving how the agency shares information, develops public health guidance, and communicates with the American public," Politico August 17 reports.

According to Politico, the move is an "attempt to modernize the agency and rehabilitate its reputation following intense criticism of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and, more recently, the growing monkeypox outbreak." The latest wave of criticism came just last week, when the CDC decided to lift quarantine recommendations for unvaccinated individuals exposed to COVID-19, including in schools.

The restructuring plan comes after two reviews, one by the Health Resources and Services Administration into the CDC’s pandemic response, and another by CDC Chief of Staff Sherri Berger into agency operations.

The reviews resulted in recommendations for improvement in the areas of transparency, communication, and training, and collaboration, including "releasing scientific findings and data more quickly, [...] translating science into practical and easy-to-understand policy, [...] working better with other agencies and public health partners," and incentivizing the CDC workforce to respond better to public health emergencies, the article noted.