Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), slammed the agency for failing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic quickly enough, according to a report from The New York Times.
Her remarks came during a senior staff meeting Aug. 17, with Walensky, formerly chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, outlining a broad plan to reorganize the agency to meet public health needs and prevent future outbreaks. Facing heavy criticism for the CDC’s COVID-19 response, Walensky ordered an external review of the agency in April. Her message this week offered an unspecific plan to overhaul the CDC, released in a video to all CDC employees.
“For 75 years, CDC. and public health have been preparing for Covid-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations,” she said Wednesday. “My goal is a new, public health, action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication and timeliness.”
Among the changes, Walensky announced the appointment of Mary K. Wakefield, a former Obama administration health official who will lead the CDC’s shift to a stronger public health focus, the NY Times reported.
Walensky’s plan comes as the CDC is dealing with outbreaks of two other infectious diseases causing concern––monkeypox and polio.
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Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."