California Brings Former CDC Staff On To Do The Work RFK Jr. Refuses To Do Nationally
from the filling-the-gap dept
With national public health being run by RFK Jr., or run into the ground if you prefer, it’s been left to individual states to figure out where and how to fill in the gaps. Some states, such as Florida, have fully embraced Kennedy’s anti-scientific posture and are moving as quickly as possible to dismantle public health mandates and programs that have kept people, particularly children, from being infected with horrific infectious diseases. In other, saner states such as Colorado, state laws have been enacted such that state health policy no longer relies strictly on federal agencies like HHS and CDC, but instead takes into account other recommendations from NGOs that are more, well, let’s call them “traditional”.
It seems like California is about to go a step further than that and is constructing its own “Public Health Network Innovation Exchange” that will work with state health departments to advise on policy and advance public health in the state. Leading the charge for PHNIX (eyeroll) will be some familiar names.
The leaders of the new project are former CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez, whom RFK Jr. forced out of her job just 29 days after the Senate confirmed her, and Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s former chief medical officer, who resigned after Monarez was fired.
At a presser announcing the initiative, Newsom called the leaders of the new project a “dream team” of public health experts, noting that Drs. Monarez and Houry would also be joined by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, the founder and chief executive of the Your Local Epidemiologist newsletter. She’ll be advising the California Department of Public Health on building confidence in public health, which is kind of desperately needed after years of rightwing attacks on institutions and expertise.
Monarez is the former CDC director who was summarily fired by RFK Jr., reportedly for refusing to rubber stamp the anti-vaxxer nonsense that everyone knew would come out of Kennedy’s handpicked immunization panel at CDC. Kennedy disputes that as the reason for the firing, but his claims are as dubious as those he has about vaccines generally. Houry, meanwhile, was one of the senior CDC professionals that resigned in the wake of Monarez’s firing.
On the one hand, it’s an embarrassment of riches for California, to suddenly have leadership for public health in the state of the caliber of former high-ranking CDC professionals. The downside is that they’re now confined to 1 of 50 states instead of all of them. States like California shouldn’t have to do this sort of thing. And states should also not be in the position of jockeying to gobble up this talent before other states get there first simply because RFK Jr. is completely out to lunch.
But leadership isn’t about wishing for the best case scenario; it’s about making the absolute best you can with the hand of cards you’re dealt. I generally don’t think much of Gavin Newsom, to be honest, but in this case I’m impressed by his decision to lead for the benefit of his state.
In her new role, Monarez will be in charge of coordinating with the private sector, technology and academic partners, while Houry will engage with existing public health alliances.
“This collaboration,” the release continued, “is critical at a time when our public health community needs to coordinate our response to evolving gaps in federal leadership.”
Somebody has to do this job at the state level, in other words, because the Trump administration is too busy playing games with plaques about former presidents and installing gravel-mouthed charlatans in positions of authority over public health to do their damned jobs.
At least it’s something.
Filed Under: california, cdc, debra houry, health, public health, rfk jr., susan monarez
Comments on “California Brings Former CDC Staff On To Do The Work RFK Jr. Refuses To Do Nationally”
13 states in the U.S.A. “import” automotive air-quality regulations from California—as does Quebec, apparently—because the feds were too damn slow to do anything about the terrible smog in Los Angeles. (People mistook it for chemical warfare in 1943, and in the 1960s there were 200 smoggy days each year.)
I fully expect we’re gonna see the same thing on other areas of regulation, certainly including health. Interstate compacts, executive agreements, whatever; states will co-operate to fill voids left at the federal level. And, as with many reactions to Trump’s shit, the results will be around a long time; the people who moved from D.C. to California won’t uproot their lives again when the craziness could always come back in 4 years.
The big question is gonna be whether the 50 states will, in general, remain “United” at all.
Re: For those in Cali, that dont understand
I ask them “Can you see the mountains?”
Because if you couldnt, I would think you were from the 1970’s, when you couldnt see them from 20 miles away..
And If you still dont get it, I live in S. Idaho and can see Mountains 50+ miles away.
Re: Re:
20 miles? Visibility was 3 blocks in 1943. It’s about 5 miles right now, with an air quality alert—without Trump having (yet) fucked up air quality regulations there.
If you search for Los Angeles smog photos in general, you’ll find lots from the 1970s that look like a mile or two of visibility. On bad days, forget about mountains—people could hardly see the tops of tall buildings while standing in front of them. It did, at least, often spare people from seeing the Hollywood sign in “its most dilapidated state”.
Yeah, this California assertion of states-rights against an imperial Federal bureaucracy is a significant example of the Checks and Balances designed in to our U.S. Constitutional system.
Re:
I don’t think a lot of people get it. Even this administration isn’t enough for the lesson to sink in that an all-powerful federal government is not a good thing. The only lesson they’re taking is that they want THEIR guys to be in charge instead.
Re: Re:
Yes, very true.
Most all Americans are clueless about the basic oligarchic nature of any form of government — they somehow think the tyrannical inevitablity is a good thing … as long as Their-Guys get the ruling power over society.
First
There are reason and efficiency to Each state having certain facilities and abilities.
But there is also a reason to have a CENTRAL location for data to be Kept, gather, held, Analyzed, and that can Look at a Bigger Picture.
Like World wide.
AND its NOT a good reason to END such a facility for SOME IDIOT THAT DOES NOT KNOOW HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS.
Re:
… what are these “certain facilities and abilities” ??
your choice to preach in vague generalities indicates a basic lack of substance.
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California?
Isn’t that where they have shit maps so you know what sidewalks are safe to walk without stepping in a pile of human shit?
Re:
What’s that got to do with the price of oranges in China?
Re:
Watch less Fox News you dipshit. They’re lying to you about California to keep you dumb and scared.
Excellent move
I’m very relieved to see California doing this. I agree we shouldn’t have to. But by keeping them in a government public health job, Newsom is not only helping us all in the short term, but making it much more likely that those people and their expertise could be available to a future sanity-restored CDC, when California no longer has to shoulder the burden alone.