HHS Layoffs Eliminate Maternal and Child Health Programs, Prompting Alarm
TL/DR –
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be losing approximately 20,000 workers and several maternal and child health programs have been eliminated as part of these layoffs. The health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, stated that these changes are part of a restructuring plan to combat the chronic disease epidemic and align the organization with new priorities. The specific programs and departments affected by the cuts have not been detailed, causing worry among health professionals who fear a negative impact on public health, particularly in relation to maternal and child health.
Major Shakeups in HHS Challenges Maternal and Child Health Programs
Several maternal and child health initiatives have been significantly impacted by layoffs in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), causing concern among those advocating for Americans’ health. Detailed information about the cuts is still unclear, as federal health officials have only released broad descriptions of the changes planned.
“The Maternal and Child Health Bureau stands out. We cannot make our country healthier by eliminating expertise where it all starts, and it all starts at maternal and child health,” said Dr Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, announced a restructuring plan that eliminates 10,000 HHS jobs. This, along with cuts from Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency,” could result in a workforce reduction of nearly a quarter for the HHS.
“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl,” Kennedy said. “We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic.”
Impact on Maternal Health Programs
Many maternal health programs appear to be targeted for elimination according to crowd-sourced information, with no clear indication of where they will be reassigned. Furthermore, the restructuring plans include folding 28 divisions into 15, with a new division called the “Administration for a Healthy America” (AHA) created.
Experts in various fields including HIV/Aids, worker health and safety, healthcare for society’s most vulnerable, and maternal and child health have received layoffs or are expected to be eliminated.
Dr Sue Kressly voiced her fears, “These cuts are significant. The policy and program changes that are made because of the cuts impact real people in real communities, not just those who lost their jobs.”
Further Implications of the Cuts
Among the most affected was the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an operating division of HHS, which lost as many as 600 workers. The CDC’s division of reproductive health also appears to have been nearly eliminated according to multiple reports.
The entire staff of a gold-standard maternal mortality survey known as the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System was also put on leave. Furthermore, the CDC’s only experts on infertility were laid off, raising concerns in the field of infertility and IVF.
The March of Dimes, a non-profit focused on improving the health of mothers and babies, voiced their concern over the cuts. Dr Amanda Williams, the interim chief medical Officer at the March of Dimes, emphasized the importance of these resources and programs, especially for communities hit hardest.
These unprecedented large-scale reassignments within the HHS will have significant implications in the field of public health, affecting many departments and institutes including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). “These cuts are significant”, Kressly concluded.
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