For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
kbroadway@health-innovation.org

CDC’s Failures Must be Addressed in PAHPA Reauthorization

Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) is holding a hearing on the reauthorization of the “Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act” (PAHPA). The following statement should be attributed to Brett Meeks, Executive Director of the Health Innovation Alliance (HIA).

“The reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act should be a given, but for it to make an impact Congress must ensure policies are implemented and enforced.

Lawmakers’ first target should be the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its failure to comply with the law for the past 17 years. If the CDC had complied and created the required nationwide public health network to track and share information on early detection and management of an infectious outbreak – like COVID-19 – the government may have been able to slow the spread and save millions of lives.

Since the CDC has shown it is not competent enough, it and other government agencies should partner with the private sector to leverage the available information and technology. This would remove any possibility of downtime, delays, duplication, or overspending.

It is also vital that Congress directs the CDC, all levels of government, and healthcare providers to share information in both directions. With today’s technology, there is no reason for lifesaving information to not be available to those on the frontlines of the fight.”