EpidemicsBudget cuts will hamper U.S. outbreak response
Public health advocates are criticizing the Obama administration’s 2012 budget request for cutting funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) emergency preparedness and core disease prevention programs; advocates believe that these cuts will seriously hamper the ability of the United States to respond effectively to large disease outbreaks or a biological terrorist attack; since 2005 funding for these programs has been reduced by nearly 30 percent, and in 2008 more than 20,000 public health jobs have been cut while thousands of workers have had their hours reduced; GAO reports warn that the federal government needs to strengthen its abilities to respond to pandemics, bioterrorism, and natural disasters
Public health advocates are criticizing the Obama administration’s 2012 budget request for cutting funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) emergency preparedness and core disease prevention programs.
The 2012 budget includes an overall increase in funding for disease prevention, with an additional $752 million for the CDC.
Jeff Levi, the Executive Director of the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), worries that cuts to certain programs will hamper the ability of the United States to respond effectively to an outbreak or a biological terrorist attack, despite overall budget increases.
He says increased investment in certain programs “is coming at the same time as significant cuts are being proposed to core disease prevention programs and significant cuts to programs that protect Americans from major disease outbreaks and bioterrorism events. We can’t afford a budget that gives with one hand what it takes away with another.”
Advocates are particularly worried about a $72 million cut to the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) grant program as well as a $35 million cut to the Academic Centers for Public Health Preparedness and Advance Practice Centers.
After 9/11 Congress authorized funding for the CDC to distribute PHEP grants to state and local public health centers. These grants were aimed at increasing their capabilities and capacity to respond to public health crises in the event of terrorist attacks, infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and other emergencies.
Since 2005 funding for these programs has been reduced by nearly 30 percent, and in 2008 more than 20,000 public health jobs have been cut while thousands of workers have had their hours reduced.
Several Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports found that “the federal government faces challenges in strengthening preparedness for responding to public health emergencies resulting from pandemics like the one caused by the 2009 HINI influenza virus, natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, and potential bioterrorism.”
In particular, GAO cited the need to improve detection of pandemic threats, the development of effective public health plans in the event of pandemics or disasters, and more coordinated leadership between DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
GAO also warns that there are shortages of existing workers in the public health care sector at all levels – national, state, and local.
According to Levi, the budget cuts are “leaving Americans unnecessarily vulnerable to diseases, disasters, and bioterrorism.”
He added, “These cuts could decimate the progress that has been made in the last decade, after September 11, 2001 and the anthrax attacks, to better prepare the country for potential disease outbreaks and bioterrorism events,” he said.
TFAH is careful to note that it does applaud the new budget for increasing overall funding for CDC programs.
The largest budget increase allocates $221 million for Community Transformation Grants (CTG) which will provide funding for local communities to develop health initiatives tailored to their specific needs.
Other notable budget items include $61.6 million for vaccinations, $40.2 million for public health infrastructure, and $40 million for epidemiology and laboratory capacity to improve detection and containment of new disease threats.
