The American Nurses Association expressed “alarm” over the abrupt removal of the CDC director and string of resignations among key leaders of the agency.
These changes, along with liaisons being removed from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, raise critical questions about the stability and independence of the nation’s public health institutions, according to an Aug. 29 ANA news release.
The Trump administration selected Jim O’Neill — the agency’s deputy secretary — to serve as acting CDC director after Susan Monarez, PhD, was ousted from the role after one month, amid an acrimonious confrontation with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. concerning forthcoming vaccine recommendations and other “reckless directives,” according to Dr. Monarez’s attorneys.
“The removal of the CDC director and resignation of key leaders raises serious questions about our country’s ability to respond to a public health crisis if it were to happen today,” ANA President Jennifer Kennedy, PhD, RN, said in the release. “There has been a lot of change but not a lot of change management. The amount of change without transparency and clear communication is whipsawing to healthcare professionals and the public at large. Americans deserve steady and consistent leadership at the helm of the CDC to safeguard their health, safety, the economy and national security.”
The changes put public confidence and trust in federal health guidance and the health system at risk, the letter said. The ANA is urging the Trump administration to restore stable leadership at the CDC, reinstate ANA and other liaisons to ACIP and ensure advisory panels reflect balance, transparency and expertise.
