Tag Archives: HHS

HHS Reinstates Hundreds of Healthcare Workers

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On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services reinstated 328 federal employees who were at risk of termination, including those working on coal miners’ “black lung” disease evaluations and those addressing health concerns for 9/11 first responders.

These reinstated employees are affiliated with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dedicated to preventing and managing work-related health issues.

The Trump administration had previously aimed to eliminate a significant portion of NIOSH’s 1,300+ staff as part of a broader initiative to downsize the federal workforce.

In April and May, numerous NIOSH employees received termination letters, although some were temporarily reassigned for specific tasks. A memo from NBC News indicated that HHS’s acting chief human resources officer, Tom Nagy, informed staff on Tuesday about the revocation of those termination notices.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies Wednesday in Washington.
Samuel Column/Getty Images

During a House budget hearing on Wednesday morning, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed that 328 NIOSH employees had been reinstated. Approximately one-third of these employees are based in Morgantown, West Virginia, with another third located in Cincinnati where NIOSH has two facilities.

“Committee Kennedy has worked diligently to preserve key components of NIOSH,” stated a CDC spokesperson. “The Trump administration remains committed to supporting coal miners and firefighters, and under the Secretary’s leadership, NIOSH’s essential services will continue as HHS streamlines its operations. Ensuring workforce health and safety is a paramount concern for the department.”

The Morgantown facility houses the NIOSH Respiratory Hygiene Department, which manages programs that offer free x-rays to detect miners’ “black lungs” or lung damage caused by prolonged exposure to coal dust. A U.S. District Judge in West Virginia mandated HHS on Tuesday to restore the department and continue monitoring coal miners’ health. Representative Riley Moore, R-W.Va., noted during a House Budget hearing that 111 NIOSH employees in Morgantown were reinstated this week.

Among the 328 reinstatements, HHS has also brought back 15 employees within the World Trade Center Health Program, which addresses the treatment of cancer, asthma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other illnesses linked to 9/11. The program has faced challenges in recent months due to staff layoffs and rehiring, complicating the registration of members and the assurance that their treatments are funded by federal resources.

“Our agents were faced with severe budget cuts, some of which should not have been enforced.

The program resumed processing registrations on May 1, as indicated by an internal email shared with NBC News regarding an extension of the James Zadroga Act, an advocacy group for 9/11 responders and survivors. Benjamin Shebat, the group’s executive director, is seeking more assurance.

“In light of the recent turbulent months, we need a public guarantee from our secretary that such disruptions will not occur again, and that the World Trade Center’s health program will remain unaffected,” Chevat expressed in an email.

In an agency email acquired by NBC News, NIOSH director John Howard mentioned that some positions within the institute are still being eliminated.

“We celebrate those who received reinstatement letters from HHS, while remembering that others have not,” Howard wrote. “I hope we can continue pushing for the return of everyone to NIOSH.”

Howard received his own termination notice in early April but later resumed his role. Bipartisan opposition from Congress members was voiced regarding his dismissal. An internal report of reinstated positions obtained by NBC News indicated that 56 roles in the NIOSH Director’s office were reinstated on Tuesday.

The original NIOSH layoffs were part of a large-scale restructuring intended to consolidate institutions into a new entity referred to as a healthy American administration. Kennedy mentioned on Wednesday morning that he could not share details of the restructuring due to a court order, which temporarily restricts further planning. A U.S. District Judge in San Francisco ordered the Trump administration last week to suspend the government overhaul, noting that any changes may require Congressional approval.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

HHS discontinues committees focusing on newborn health screening

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Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services has committed to improving the health of Americans, with a particular emphasis on reducing health burdens among children. Despite this, the department recently removed the Advisory Committee on Newborn and Child Genetic Disorders.

For the past 15 years, the Advisory Committee on Hereditary Disorders in Newborns and Children has played a crucial role in recommending which conditions should be included in the universal screening panel for newborns to the health and human services secretaries.

Kennedy’s focus has been on tracing the origins of a broader spectrum of pediatric diseases such as autism, asthma, and obesity, but rare diseases, mostly genetic, remain a significant public health concern. In the United States, around 15 million children have rare diseases, most of which are genetic.

Screenings of newborns identify about 14,000 babies each year with potentially life-threatening conditions, according to the National Agency for Rare Disability (NORD). Early diagnosis at birth provides parents with valuable intervention opportunities, usually most effective before symptoms manifest.

While individual states determine which conditions to screen for, most follow the federally recommended uniform screening panel. Volunteer scientists and medical professionals on the advisory board primarily shape the screening panel with their recommendations.

Allison Herrity, senior policy analyst at NORD, expressed disappointment at the dissolution of the committee and its impact on the process of adding new conditions to the screening panel.

The Internal HHS email reviewed by NBC News confirmed the abrupt end of the committee on April 3, without any explanation. This decision has left room for speculation and hope that the committee may be reinstated to address the pressing need for identifying and treating rare genetic disorders in newborns.

Dr. Sean McCandless, Director of Genetics and Metabolism at Colorado Children’s Hospital, emphasized the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, especially for conditions like MLD and DMD, which have available therapies to improve patients’ quality of life.

However, the removal of the advisory committee poses a threat to the inclusion of new conditions in the Universal Panel. Without a structured approach like the committee, ensuring comprehensive and evidence-based screening for new conditions becomes challenging.

McCandless and other healthcare professionals have appealed to Kennedy to reinstate the advisory board to align with his vision of a healthier America. Advocates are concerned about the future of universal screening and fear disparities between states in offering comprehensive screenings.

They stress the importance of an independent body like the advisory committee to ensure that screening recommendations are based on scientific evidence rather than external influences.

There is a call for a more streamlined process for adding conditions to the screening panel to keep pace with advancements in treatments and medical knowledge, ultimately benefiting children and families affected by rare genetic disorders.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Kennedy meets with tribal leader amidst HHS cut tensions

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When Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was about to take the stage, the governor of the Gila River Indian community was still addressing the audience, expressing concerns about recent Trump administration actions.

Governor Stephen Law Lewis emphasized the importance of tribes having a political stance and urged for a more thoughtful approach to government efficiency cuts, rather than a drastic one.

Kennedy was on his Healthy Tour of America in the Southwest states, with his latest stop at the Gila River Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino in Arizona to participate in The Tribal Self Governance Conference.

The 1975 law allowed native communities to develop programs based on their cultural needs, marking a shift from federal administration. Kennedy’s dedication to improving tribal health stems from his family history and personal experiences.

However, recent decisions within Kennedy’s agency have raised concerns among tribal leaders regarding the support for Indigenous communities in the face of health challenges.

Kennedy assured tribal leaders that certain health services for Native Americans would be exempt from recent executive orders. He engaged in discussions on strategies to address health issues within tribal communities.

Kennedy emphasized the need to address the root causes of health crises in tribal communities, particularly focusing on the food system. He also shared plans to implement “robot nurses” in Indigenous groups, which was met with mixed reactions from the crowd.

His extensive work advocating for Indigenous communities dates back to the 1990s, highlighting a commitment to supporting native groups in various negotiations and initiatives.

Kennedy pledged to address the unique challenges faced by Indigenous leaders in accessing high-quality healthcare. The discussion also touched on the need to build confidence in vaccines among Native American communities.

Kennedy’s tour included visits to healthcare facilities serving Native Americans, as well as outreach to tribal groups to address their unique health concerns.

He defended his agency’s response to a measles outbreak during a press conference, highlighting the importance of effective public health initiatives.

Source: www.nytimes.com

HHS discontinues research on vaccines and treatments for potential pandemics

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The Trump administration has cancelled funds for dozens of research seeking new vaccines and treatments for Covid-19 and other pathogens that could cause a future pandemic.

The government’s rationale is that, according to internal NIH documents viewed by the New York Times, the community’s pandemic has ended and “provides a cause for the end of COVID-related grants.”

However, the research was not merely about Covid. 9 finished Award-funded center We will conduct research on antiviral drugs to combat so-called priority pathogens that could create an entirely new pandemic.

“This includes anti-viral projects designed to cover a wide range of families that could cause outbreaks or pandemics,” said a senior NIH official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Vaccine research also didn’t focus on Covid, but on other coronaviruses that would one day jump from animals to humans.

Describing all studies as COVID-related is “completely inaccurate and merely a way to reduce infectious disease research,” officials said. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the NIH is focusing too much on infections, officials noted.

The funding suspension was first reported Science and Nature. The cancellation surprised scientists who relied on government support.

“The idea that there’s no need for further research to learn how to treat health issues caused by the coronavirus and prevent future pandemics is because “Covid-19 is over” is ridiculous,” says Pamela Bjorkman, a structural biologist at Caltech, who was studying the new vaccine.

The goal of the project was to prepare vaccines and drugs if a new pandemic hits it, rather than developing valuable months from scratch.

“In the last pandemic, we were really knocking down our pants,” said Paul Vienias, a virologist at Rockefeller University, working with Dr. Bjorkman.

“And unless you learn that lesson and prepare better for the next pandemic, you’ll rarely do better than last time.”

Dr. Beanius, Dr. Bjorkman and his colleagues were developing a vaccine that could protect them from a wide range of coronavirus species.

Researchers have discovered new strategies for caxing the immune system and learned how to recognize molecular features common to one or more viruses. The results of animal experiments were promising.

But now, their funds have been cut suddenly, and scientists say they doubted they could build on those outcomes. Dr. Vienias said the fire made him “angry, disappointed and frustrated.”

Other scientists were working on antiviral therapy, part of a program launched in 2021.

$577 million With support from the NIH, the lab’s nationwide network was studying how the virus was replicated and searching for drugs that could block them.

The researchers focused on the Viridae family, which contains the most worrying known pathogens, such as Ebola and Nipah virus. Scientists discovered many promising molecules and were moving forward towards clinical trials.

Reuben Harris, a molecular virologist at UT Health San Antonio, said the promising compounds revealed by the program include antiviral drugs that stop Ebola-related viruses from entering cells.

“We can deploy to help a lot of people quickly,” Dr. Harris said.

Several compounds appeared to work against many viral families. “We’ve seen a lot of experience in the world,” said Nevan Krogan, a systems biologist at the University of California, San Francisco.

On Wednesday morning, Dr. Krogan and dozens of colleagues gathered in the campus meeting room to confirm their results. And they also discussed what they could now, if any.

“One student asked me, ‘Well, I booked an experiment with this microscope tomorrow – can I do that?” “And I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ ”

Dr. Harris said that without ongoing support, the promising drugs he and others have discovered will not move into clinical trials. “It’s tragic – I don’t have too many words to explain it now,” he said.

In 2023, Kennedy said he wanted to take it. “break” From infectious disease research, instead focuses on chronic diseases.

Jason McClellan, a virologist at the University of Texas at Austin, was working on an antiviral drug program, but saw cancellations of pandemic research follow that promise.

Dr. McClellan, whose previous research was based on the creation of the 2020 Covid vaccine, said this week’s cuts made him wonder whether he could continue to study the pandemic in the United States.

“We’re starting to have conversations and plan to gather more information,” he said, noting the possibility of moving abroad.

“My lab is a structural virology lab focused on structural-based vaccine design,” he added. “If the focus is on chronic diseases, it doesn’t leave us much of a funding.”

Source: www.nytimes.com