Along with six other states, Missouri has received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce HIV infections. This funding supports the provision of medications such as pre-exposure prophylactics (PrEP) to at-risk patients. According to Cherabie, residents in rural areas heavily depend on the CDC-funded HIV programs.
Cherabie stated that their efforts largely rely on these federal grants, which enable the distribution of HIV testing equipment and the collection of data on PrEP distribution, HIV diagnoses, and testing. Without these grants, they would be struggling to navigate effectively.
A communication from the director of the CDC’s DEHSP center indicates that plans are underway to completely eliminate the division. This division comprises various branches, including those focused on asthma and air quality, climate and health activities, and lead poisoning prevention, among others. All branches are vital, and many employees have received reduction-in-force (RIF) notices.
Within the DEHSP, other divisions, such as the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which assists the cruise industry in preventing public health issues, are affected. It remains unclear if their cruise inspection duties or outbreak reporting will continue. Similarly, the branch focused on eliminating childhood lead poisoning faces uncertainty due to employee reductions.
These CDC cutbacks form part of the Trump administration’s plan to lay off over 10,000 employees from the Health and Human Services department. Orchestrated by Brad Smith of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, these cuts were initially slated for implementation last Friday. In a recent press release, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that this restructuring, combined with early retirements and deferred resignations, would decrease the agency’s workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.
Kennedy stated that bureaucracies like HHS naturally become inefficient over time and that this overhaul would benefit both taxpayers and the American public by striving to “Make America Healthy Again.”
Anu Hazra, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago and physician at Howard Brown Health, expressed concerns that reducing CDC funding would significantly limit HIV prevention and testing operations and potentially eliminate some services entirely. Hazra emphasized that the work relies heavily on federal support, doubting the feasibility of privatizing public health as a viable solution.
Hazra highlighted that such funding cuts would disproportionally affect patients from socioeconomically disadvantaged Black communities on the South Side of Chicago, who already face limited access to essential medical services, including HIV prevention and treatment.
Numerous doctors have expressed unease, remembering the previous Trump administration’s support for federal HIV prevention initiatives intended to end new HIV infections in the U.S. by 2030. Hazra credits the progress made to this support, noting the radical change was unexpected.
Pagkas-Bather emphasized that the issue extends beyond academia or the healthcare profession, warning that it affects everyone in the community.
Additional reporting was provided by Emily Mullin.
