Missouri, along with six other states, has received CDC funding aimed at reducing HIV infections, particularly through the provision of pre-exposure prophylactics (PrEP) for high-risk individuals. Cherabie emphasizes the importance of these federal grants for distributing HIV testing and maintaining data on testing and diagnoses. However, the CDC's division overseeing public health is slated for elimination, affecting several public health branches and leading to job reductions. The cuts are part of broader reductions in Health and Human Services, raising concerns about sustaining vital services like lead poisoning prevention and health programs for vulnerable populations.
Our efforts are largely dependent on these federal grants. We use them to make sure that we are able to distribute HIV testing equipment. We use them to make sure that we can get information and data on how much PrEP is being distributed, how many HIV diagnoses we have, how many HIV tests we're giving out. If we lose that, then we're moving around in the dark.
The division is slated to be eliminated in its entirety. All of these branches provide key services, and hundreds of employees received RIFs.
It's unclear if the program's work involving cruise inspections, or the lists of outbreaks on cruises, will continue. Similarly, the Lead Poisoning branch that works to eliminate childhood lead poisoning has also been gutted by RIFs.
Those sweeping reductions were orchestrated by Brad Smith, a member of Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, according to Politico.
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