Senate HELP Committee Staff Tour CDC
By Alexandra Menardy, CPH Foundation Intern and MPH Health Policy Candidate at GW Milken Institute SPH
All public health graduate students learn about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s role in public health. Still, most of us think infectious disease is the agency’s sole focus. I now realize how mistaken that idea is, after joining the CPH Foundation and a bipartisan delegation of U.S. Senate HELP Committee staffers on an educational tour of the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta.
Over the course of two days, I helped the CPH Foundation lead a tour group through a series of meetings and site visits; where we learned how the agency lives up to its motto of “24/7: Saving Lives. Protecting People.” During a panel discussion, representatives from the New York Department of Health and CDC leadership discussed the agency’s partnerships with state and local governments. The CDC distributes over 60% of its budget to help these entities address a wide array of public health challenges. The agency also works to address chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease- providing scientific expertise to regional public health laboratories and working directly with local experts on the ground.
Tour participants engaged in a panel discussion on chronic disease with senior CDC leadership and the NY Department of Health.
CDC’s Chamblee and Roybal campuses are home to globally renowned, “gold standard” environmental health research facilities, the emergency response operations center, occupational safety laboratories, and divisions dedicated to improving laboratory science standards. During our tour of the Tobacco Laboratory, a world leader in tobacco research, we discussed the agency’s unique work in the field. The CDC is the only laboratory that measures more than 100 addictive and toxic substances in tobacco products and smoke; including the highly-addictive, free-nicotine constituent. The agency goes to remarkable lengths to keep pace with ever-changing tobacco products, analyzing more than 10,000 specimens each year. CDC science also supports of the FDA’s efforts to monitor the behavioral and health impacts. This laboratory is often referred to as the “world’s reference lab”for toxic substances. Judging by the state-of-the-art technology, CDC’s work is true to its reputation.
Upon entering the CDC's Environmental Health Laboratory, tour participants wore shoe covers to maintain the sterile facility and safety.
Another highlight of our tour was a discussion with the CDC’s Injury Center on the recent U.S. prescription drug overdose epidemic. I was nominally aware of PDO as an emerging issue, but was stunned to learn that opioid-related overdose death rates have been rising steadily. From 1999 to 2010 alone, there was a 102% increase. The CDC is not a regulatory agency, but they are working to address this issue by implementing their three pillars for prevention: improving the data quality and tracking trends on a national level, collaborating with states to strengthen their ability to address this issue, and supplying healthcare providers with the proper resources to improve patient safety. The agency’s efforts have already drastically improved healthcare standards through new prescribing guidelines in several states. The CDC expects to implement more drug monitoring programs, facilitate better access to substance abuse treatment, and ensure greater health care provider accountability.
Tour participants were joined by CPH Foundation partner organizations, sponsors, and senior CDC staff for dinner. Katherine Simeon (Sen. Orrin Hatch’s staff) speaks with CDC’s Dr. Anne Schuchat (foreground). Natalie Burkhalter (Sen. Rand Paul's Staff) on left.
A culminating point in the visit occurred when CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden, provided a glimpse into a typical week at the CDC, focusing on the agency’s remarkable work in infectious disease prevention and surveillance. Dr. Frieden discussed efforts to address MERS, ebola, TB, chikungunya virus and the Million Hearts Initiative. Another key issue covered was the threat of antibiotic resistance. Awareness of antibiotic resistance is on the rise and the severity of this issue is alarming. AR in the United States kills at least 23,000 people every year, and ultimately puts modern medicine at risk. The CDC’s Detect and Protect FY15 Proposal seeks to address this issue. The proposal requests $30 million/year for 5 years to speed-up outbreak detection through support of regional labs and improve infection prevention and antibiotic prescribing. By doing so, the CDC’s AR Initiative could achieve 25-50% reductions in many harmful infections.
CPH Foundation Executive Director, Karl Moeller, thanks tour sponsors during a meeting with CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden.
A final highlight of the tour was the insightful panel discussion with CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers and others. Our group was given a glimpse of a "day in the life of a disease detective”. It’s evident the agency’s infectious disease research and field work truly makes a difference worldwide. One interesting account was from EIS Officer Rachel Smith who led a research team during 2012 U.S. fungal meningitis outbreak. The CDC’s collaboration with and training of state health departments’ staff helped minimize what could have been a national outbreak.
As a public health graduate student, experiencing first-hand the CDC’s tireless efforts to ensure our nation’s health and safety has provided me with inspiring insights into the hard work of the often under-appreciated staff at this amazing agency. Helping in the CPH Foundation’s efforts to educate policy makers about the agency’s expansive work was an excellent opportunity. The CDC is not only a leader in widely-known prevention efforts, but also is a pioneer in public health innovation.
To see more of our latest CDC tour, view photos here.
