The work of scientists and public health professionals at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has the potential to touch every person on the planet. The agency’s mission has grown in urgency as it deals with bioterrorism and the prospect of a flu pandemic.
One of the few government agencies located outside of Washington and one of metro Atlanta’s largest employers the CDC has always been an important focus of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Editors decided this year to continue covering the scientific mission, while taking a more aggressive look at the agency’s administrative functions.
The CDC has 9,000 employees and 5,000 contractors, most of them based here. The agency’s annual budget is about $8.4 billion, with millions more earmarked for pandemic flu.
Under director Julie Gerberding’s leadership, the CDC has undergone a major reorganization. As with any strategic restructuring, the changes have met much resistance. A Sept. 10 story by AJC reporter Alison Young detailed morale problems, as well as the departure of several key leaders and scientists. It reported concerns that five former directors expressed in a rare letter to Gerberding.
“It was the first time a group of current and former employees of the agency have talked on the record about their concerns,” said Young. “That’s a big deal and is in many ways a sign of the concerns reaching a crescendo within the agency. ”
Young, who joined the newspaper this year, has science and investigative reporting expertise. Her previous investigative reports have exposed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ poor handling of disability benefits and the Food and Drug Administration’s role in off-label prescribing in which drugs are approved for one purpose and prescribed by doctors for other conditions.
Using information obtained through the federal Freedom of Information Act, Young wrote a Sept. 17 story about administrators, rather than researchers, being the most frequent recipients of large cash awards.
FAA flight records were used for a June 14 story about a luxury private jet leased by the CDC for use in emergencies. Young’s reporting showed that the jet had mostly been used to take Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt to more than 90 cities to promote the new Medicare prescription drug program and to attend states’ pandemic flu planning sessions.
CDC officials aren’t disputing the accuracy of these reports, but Gerberding has referred to them as “attacks.” In a meeting with AJC writers and editors this week, she said the CDC performs at a high level. She believes the reports have not been fair and balanced. The story about low morale and departures, she said, should have noted the many talented employees who have been brought in.
She cited the agency’s work on a number of fronts, from preparations for a possible flu pandemic to its rapid response to the recent E.coli bacteria contamination of spinach.
While recent reports and interviews with past directors have raised concerns, Young has found it difficult to quantify whether the agency’s ability to respond to its many demands has been hampered.
Gerberding believes the agency is more prepared than ever with new centers, new scientists and improved technology. To hear ongoing employee concerns with impartiality, the CDC has adopted a new ombudsman system.
She and other agency officials say they recognize the need for public accountability. With that in mind, editors expect them to comply with the newspaper’s numerous requests for public documents in a timely way.
“The CDC is committed to working with the paper to make sure its coverage reflects the complete picture when it comes to the particular issue being covered,” said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.
The AJC has recognized and will continue to recognize the work of the agency’s many dedicated employees. On Sept. 28, for instance, the newspaper wrote about the achievements of Nancy Cox, the CDC’s flu czar.
“The newspaper takes seriously its watchdog role for an agency that spends billions of dollars a year and influences health policy around the globe,” said Nancy Albritton, the AJC’s science and medicine editor.
