January 1, CDC Enters Damage Control-Mode

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is undergoing a sweeping overhaul in order to revamp the public’s perception of the agency amid a credibility crisis.

“The lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, along with the feedback I have received inside and outside the agency over the past year, indicate that it is time to take a step back and strategically position CDC to support the future of public health,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told employees in an email.

Walensky said that Jim Macrae, associate administrator for primary health care at the Health Resources and Services Administration, would be conducting a one-month review of the organization.

Macrea will review the agency’s COVID-19 efforts and “provide me [Walensky] with insight on how the delivery of our science and program can be further strengthened during this critical time of transition.” 

“At the conclusion of this collective effort, we will develop new systems and processes to deliver our science and program to the American people, along with a plan for how CDC should be structured to facilitate the public health work we do,” Walensky wrote. 

The CDC has faced criticism for unclear or inconsistent guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The C.D.C. will undergo a comprehensive re-evaluation, the agency’s director said.