Funding cuts and restructuring at the CDC reportedly have disrupted certain efforts related to infection prevention, control and disease monitoring.
One such effort is Together TakeMeHome at Emory University in Atlanta, which is funded by the CDC and mails free HIV self-tests.
Travis Sanchez, the program’s executive director and a professor at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, told Becker’s the CDC notified the university April 23 that the agency would not fund Together TakeMeHome beyond the end of this grant year, which is Sept. 29.
Emory was told a lack of staffing at the CDC contributed to the decision, Patrick Sullivan, PhD, the project’s lead scientist and professor at the Rollins School of Public Health, told ABC News on May 2.
Together TakeMeHome launched in 2023 to increase access to HIV testing in the U.S., including Puerto Rico.
Since the program started, “nearly 7,000 people have learned of their HIV infection and can now take steps to get on medication that will prolong their lives,” Dr. Sullivan told Becker’s.
Emory estimates that about 500 new HIV infections have been avoided as a result, saving nearly $200 million in treatment costs.
“CDC recommends that all adults in the US be tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime, but only about a third of US adults have ever tested for the virus,” Dr. Sullivan said. “TTMH is a creative use of new testing technologies that offers a way to improve that health metric by lowering barriers to people taking an HIV test.”
He also noted the convenience and privacy involved with testing at home, as well as the health information individuals using the program receive.
Becker’s reached out to the CDC and will update this story if comment is received.
The reported cancellation of funding for Emory’s program comes after HHS announced a large-scale restructuring of the agency in March, outlining plans to lay off 10,000 full-time employees and consolidate HHS from 28 divisions to 15.
Below are two additional updates that illustrate how the restructuring reportedly is affecting infection prevention and control efforts:
1. A majority of staff members at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health have been laid off, stalling workplace safety efforts in healthcare and other key industries, CBS News reported May 3. Employees received termination notices on May 2, representing the second round of layoffs to hit NIOSH since HHS announced its restructuring. Among those laid off were nurses and scientists in NIOSH’s World Trade Center Health Program.
Layoffs have also affected employees in the agency’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, which vets safety equipment such as N95 masks. The lab was processing about 100 applications for personal protective equipment before layoffs paused this work, one former employee told CBS News. In addition, efforts to identify and flag counterfeit PPE have been paused, according to the report.
2. Job cuts have also affected the CDC’s 11-member Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Several members received termination notices, and the group’s March 6-7 meeting was canceled at the last minute, according to MedPage Today. The committee develops and recommends guidance to minimize infection risks to patients and staff in healthcare settings. While public health experts have expressed concerns that the White House may be sunsetting the committee, federal officials have issued no official notice that HICPAC has been terminated.
Currently, the group is working on draft isolation precaution guidelines for healthcare facilities. Some industry professionals have scrutinized the guidelines for not recommending N95 respirators for all airborne pathogens, instead suggesting that surgical masks are adequate for most common respiratory illnesses.