“Five months later, federal health officials, industry executives and the public health community say they\u2019re more worried than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kennedy in his first seven weeks atop the Department and Health and Human Services has dramatically reshaped the U.S. health apparatus, eliminating entire agency divisions, abruptly shifting policy priorities and leaving the sprawling department in what six current and former employees described as an unprecedented state of upheaval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The health secretary and his team forced out top scientists in charge of developing new vaccines and evaluating the safety of medicines, stripping away centuries of collective expertise and institutional knowledge. Government offices that manage key functions like ensuring safe drinking water and alerting Americans to contaminated drugs have been decimated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the meantime, Kennedy appointees have sought greater control over scientific decision-making in agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration \u2014 going against longstanding norms and roiling a health sector that accounts for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a mess,\u201d said one former senior HHS official granted anonymity to discuss internal matters. \u201cWhat was once a very robust place to work, that was trying to lead on innovation, is gone. It\u2019s just gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rapid overhaul, punctuated by last week\u2019s mass firing of 10,000 employees, has left the HHS workforce traumatized and the broader health community in deep distress, according to interviews with nine current and former health officials, as well as five other public health experts and industry officials, most of whom were granted anonymity for fear of retribution.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“\u201cThey got rid of all the people who made the place work,\u201d said one health official. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem to be achieving their aims. Unless their aim was just to cause chaos and torpedo morale.\u201d”<\/p>\n\n\n\n