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Newly appointed director Susan Monarez voiced support for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers in a media event on Thursday, nearly two weeks after a shooting at the agency’s Atlanta headquarters.
Monarez said restoring Americans’ trust in the CDC and educating people about the work the scientists, researchers, and others do for public health is a top priority.
“If the American people could really understand how good and sincere and hardworking the CDC employees are, we would really be able to effectively communicate that they are trying everything every day to make the lives of American people better and stronger,” she said. “It’s the fabric and the tapestry of how we make Americans well.”
Local reporters were invited to tour an area where windows with bullet holes had not yet been repaired and offices where glass shards remained on the floor. (Repairs to some buildings have been made).
Monarez was completing her first week as director on Aug. 8 when a gunman fired about 180 rounds into six buildings. DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was killed responding to the scene.
Reports have suggested that the gunman, identified by authorities as Patrick Joseph White, was mentally ill and blamed the Covid vaccine for his health problems.
Elevating stories showing the value of the CDC’s work is one way to fight the misinformation that erodes trust, Monarez said.
Mona Patel, who has worked in health communications at the CDC for about 15 years, told reporters Thursday that the shooting has mobilized workers “to get our science out there, and get trust from the public.”
The shooting deepened a loss in morale and direction after months of layoffs, with some workers rehired only to face more uncertainty. The CDC will lay off more than 600 additional workers who have been on administrative leave since earlier this year, Benjamin Haynes, media relations director, confirmed Thursday.
Many CDC employees say they feel unsupported – even attacked – by the Trump administration. Monarez said the administration is supporting the agency in the shooting aftermath.
“We are getting all the resources that we need. We have had such a level of support from the administration. They want to make sure that not only are we getting what we need for the physical repairs, but also the emotional and mental health repairs,” she said.
About 4,000 employees have used the employee assistance program, Monarez said, and she is meeting daily with small groups to hear their ideas and concerns. She acknowledged this year’s layoffs are tough for the remaining employees.
Monarez holds a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has been serving as acting director at the CDC since January. She formerly was the deputy director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, a Health and Human Services research funding agency focused on innovation.
“There are larger plans for reorganization across HHS toward really making sure that there is capacity and capability building for the future, but the CDC staff are my family,” Monarez said. “Certainly, when you see individuals that you’ve been working with for 10, 20, 30 years ... it’s still going to have some level of impact, and we have to come together, and we have to figure out how to move forward.”
Many employees have been critical of the federal health leadership, including the CDC’s parent agency.
“Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is complicit in dismantling America’s public health infrastructure and endangering the nation’s health by repeatedly spreading inaccurate health information,” said a letter sent this week to Kennedy and Congress signed by hundreds of HHS employees.
American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883, a union that represents about 2,000 CDC employees, called the decision to lay off the 600 workers who were on leave “cruel.”
“The cruel decision to move forward with these unlawful separations immediately after a violent attack on campus contradicts their stated commitments to promote the recovery of CDC staff and undermines the stability of our agency,” the union said in a statement.
Rebecca Grapevine is a reporter covering public health in Atlanta for Healthbeat. Contact Rebecca at rgrapevine@healthbeat.org.
