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December 21, 2017 PDF The Honorable Eric Hargan
CDC serves as the command center for the nation’s public health defense system against emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, and other threats to health and safety. From aiding in the surveillance, detection and prevention of the Zika virus to playing a lead role in the control of Ebola in West Africa and detecting and responding to cases in the U.S., to monitoring and investigating disease outbreaks to pandemic flu preparedness, to addressing chronic diseases. CDC is the nation’s – and the world’s –expert resource and response center, coordinating communications and action and serving as the laboratory reference center. States, communities and the international community rely on CDC for accurate information and direction in a crisis or outbreak. In the United States, CDC serves as a leader in the federal-state-local public health enterprise, which encompasses state, territorial and local health agencies that protect the public every day. None of this can occur unless CDC is able to convey who is at risk, what the risk is and how the science dictates the risk be addressed using established language – including the seven words as appropriate. Science is the bedrock of sound public health and medical decision-making – and it should not be subject to partisan politics. HHS – including CDC – will not be successful in improving the health of Americans affected by these conditions if there is political interference – real or perceived – whether it be aimed at language or at undermining key scientific principles and policies. Our organizations urge the Department of Health and Human Services to assure the Department’s public health professionals and the public that science – and descriptions of it – remain at the heart of its mission. We look forward to your response clarifying these troubling reports. Sincerely,
AAHIVM Academic Pediatric Association Academy for Eating Disorders Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics AcademyHealth Action for a Better Tomorrow - Sauk Valley Action on Smoking and Health Addiction Connections Resource Advocate Medical Group Advocates for Better Children's Diets Advocates for Youth African American Health Alliance Alaska Public Health Association Ali Forney Center Allergy & Asthma Network Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry American Academy of HIV Medicine American Academy of Pediatrics American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy American Association of Directors of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry American Association of Health and Disability American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine American College of Physicians American College of Preventive Medicine American Council on Exercise American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) American Federation of Teachers American Geriatrics Society American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering American Lung Association American Medical Student Association American Muslim Health Professionals American Pediatric Society American Podiatric Medical Association, Inc. American Public Health Association American Sexual Health Association American Society for Microbiology American Society of Hematology American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene American Statistical Association American Thoracic Society Arkansas Public Health Association Asian Services In Action Association of Accredited Public Health Programs Association of Black Cardiologists Association of Clinicians for the Underserved Association of Departments of Family Medicine Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Association of Ohio Health Commissioners, Inc. Association of Population Centers Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Baltimore City Health Department Big Cities Health Coalition Blue Ridge Pride Center, Inc. Boston Public Health Commission Boulder County Public Health Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Brooklyn Community Pride Center Building Home Together CAEAR Coalition California Pan-Ethnic Health Network California Public Health Association-North Callen-Lorde Community Health Center Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Cancer Council of the Pacific Islands Celmatix Inc. 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Authority Health) Doctors for America Dorchester County Health Department Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health East Bay Refugee Forum Element Health, Inc. Entomological Society of America Equality New York EverThrive Illinois Ferring Pharmaceuticals FORGE, Inc. Friends of the Earth Futures Without Violence Gay & Lesbian Center of Bakersfield Gay City: Seattle's LGBTQ Center GC University Lahore Georgia Public Health Association GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Hawaii Public Health Association Health Resources in Action HealthHIV Henry Ford Medical Group Hepatitis B Foundation Hispanic Federation HIV Medicine Association HLN Consulting, LLC Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings Human Impact Partners Identity Youth Center Illinois Public Health Association Immunization Action Coalition Immunize Nevada Indivisible Brookfield Indivisible Carbondale Indivisible Illinois Indivisible South Suburban Chicago Infectious Diseases Society of America Institute for Basic Research Institute of Systems Biology Iowa Public Health Association IQ Products Jacobs Institute of Women's Health JASMYN Juneau Biosciences, LLC Kansas City, Missouri Health Department Kentucky Population Health Institute KFSHRC Lakeshore Foundation Latino Commission on AIDS LGBT Center OC LGBT Detroit LGBT Network LGBTQ Law Project of NYLAG Local Public Health Association of Minnesota Long Island Crisis Center Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY) Long Island LGBT Community Center (The Center) Long Island Pride Louisiana Public Health Association Lung Cancer Alliance Lynchburg Diversity Center Magee-Womens Research Institute March of Dimes Maricopa County Department of Public Health Mazzoni Center Medical Students for Choice Missouri Public Health Association MJH Grant Consulting Montgomery County Health Department Montana Public Health Association NARAL Pro-Choice America NASTAD National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research National Association for Health and Fitness National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems National Association of Councils on Development Disabilities National Association of County and City Health Officials National Black Justice Coalition National Black Nurses Association National Blood Clot Alliance National Center for Health Research (NCHR) National Center for Lesbian Rights National Center for Transgender Equality National Coalition for LGBT Health National Coalition of STD Directors National Collaborative for Health Equity National Consumers League National Council of Jewish Women National Health Care for the Homeless Council National Health Law Program National Hispanic Medical Association National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health National Medical Association National Network of Public Health Institutes National Partnership for Women & Families National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives National Recreation and Park Association National Tuberculosis Controllers Association National Women's Health Network Nebraska Association of Local Health Directors Nevada Public Health Association New Hampshire Public Health Association New Mexico Public Health Association New Mexico Public Health Institute New Progressive Alliance New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene North American Primary Care Research Group North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology North Carolina Public Health Association North County LGBTQ Resource Center North Dakota Public Health Association Ohio Public Health Association one n ten Oregon Public Health Association Origins FTD, Inc. 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Public Citizen Public Health Advocates Public Health Association of Nebraska Public Health Association of NYC Public Health Institute Public Health Justice Collective Pulmonary Fibrosis Advocates Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition Rainbow Center Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness Research!America Resource Center Results for America Robinson Research Institute S2AY Rural Health Network Sacramento LGBT Community Center Safe States Alliance SAGE San Antonio Metropolitan Health District San Francisco AIDS Foundation School-Based Health Alliance Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders - Long Island (SAGE-LI) Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Society for Pediatric Research Society for Public Health Education Society for Reproductive Biology Society for the Study of Reproduction Society of General Internal Medicine Society of Teachers of Family Medicine South Carolina Public Health Association Southern Tier AIDS Program Southwest Center for Health Innovation Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision Spina Bifida Association State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University SunServe Sustainability and Health Equity Lab/University of California, Berkeley Texas Association of City & County Health Officials The AIDS Institute The Arc of the United States The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection The Consortium The Cortland LGBTQ Center The Empowered Patient Coalition The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada The Immunization Partnership The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center The LGBT Center of Greater Reading The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach The LOFT LGBT Center The Los Angeles Trust for Children's Health The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable The Pride Center at Equality Park The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital The San Diego LGBT Community Center The Source LGBT+ Center The Trevor Project The University of Texas Medical Branch Transgender Law Center Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund Trust for America’s Health Truth Initiative UC Irvine Center for Occupational and Environmental Health University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute University Reproductive Associates USDA-ARS Utah Public Health Association Vermont Public Health Association Washington County Gay Straight Alliance, Inc. Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials Washington State Public Health Association Welcome Back Initiative West Suburban Action League West Valley Neighborhoods Coalition West Valley Neighborhoods Coalition Whitman-Walker Health Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards Wisconsin Public Health Association Woodstock Institute Youth Outlook Youth OUTright WNC, Inc. Cc: Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
