Newsom names 2 former CDC leaders to California public health roles

by · UPI

Dec. 15 (UPI) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced the hiring of two former top officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who were pushed out or resigned.

Former CDC Director Susan Monarez and former CDC Chief Medical Officer Deb Houry will join the California Department of Public Health to help lead the launch of the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange, Newsom said.

Monarez will serve as a strategic health technology and funding adviser and Houry will be senior regional and global public health medical, both with PHNIX.

They both departed on Aug. 27 when Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced changes to limit access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Monarez was fired by Kennedy Jr. less than a month after being confirmed as CDC director. She refused to agree to changes to the new vaccine policy.

Houry was one of several top CDC officials who resigned in protest of what she described as Kennedy's weaponization of public health.

Kennedy told lawmakers that Monarez could not be trusted.

"I am deeply excited to bring my experience in health technology and innovation to support PHNIX," Monarez said in a statement. "California has an extraordinary concentration of talent, technology, and investment, and this effort is about putting those strengths to work for the public good -- modernizing how public health operates, accelerating innovation and building a healthier, more resilient future for all Californians."

Houry said: "California will advance practical, scalable solutions that strengthen public health within the state and across states -- showing how states can modernize data, share capacity and work together more efficiently, while remaining focused on protecting people and communities."

Their new agency was formed to "modernize public health infrastructure and maintain trust in science-driven decision-making," according to a news release.

"The Public Health Network Innovation Exchange is expected to bring together the best science, the best tools and the best minds to advance public health," Newsom said. "By bringing on expert scientific leaders to partner in this launch, we're strengthening collaboration and laying the groundwork for a modern public health infrastructure that will offer trust and stability in scientific data not just across California, but nationally and globally."

Also joining the initiative is Katelyn Jetelina, CEO of Your Local Epidemiologist. Jetelina will advise CDPH on the critical need to maintain public confidence in the institutions that keep Californians safe. She said the current "chaotic health information environment" necessitated PHNIX.

Jetelina also will lead Project Stethoscope to "use social media monitoring, community-driven insights, and targeted research to better inform the department on the health concerns and needs of Californians."

PHNIX will focus on public health preparedness by developing advanced technology and funding future frameworks, including artificial intelligence and proposed designs for multi-state and global health partnerships with private and academic sectors.

After Kennedy became HHS secretary, California has been part of two state-level health initiatives.

The West Coast Health Alliance is a group of state and public health officials from California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii. The Governors Public Health Alliance is a 15-state nonpartisan alliance to coordinate and sustain global situational awareness.

California was the first state in the United States to join the World Health Organization Global Outbreak Alert Response Network.

And CDPH has launched the Public Health for All Californians Together Coalition, a network of public health and medical professionals, health system leaders, researchers and community health advocates "to build trust and strengthen community well-being by sharing timely, evidence-based guidelines and culturally appropriate health messaging to promote a Healthy California for All."

"Dramatic and unfounded changes in federal policy, funding, and scientific practice have created uncertainty and instability in public health and health care," Dr. Erica Pan, CDPH director and state public health officer, said. "I am thrilled to work with these advisors to catalyze our efforts to lead a sustainable future for public health. California is stepping up to coordinate and build the scaffolding we need to navigate this moment."

California, the largest state, has 14.9 million people enrolled in Medi-Cal, 6.5 million in Medicare and 2 million in Covered California, the state's Affordable Care Act marketplace, known as Obamacare.

Enhanced ACA subsidies from the federal government are set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress extends them or agrees on a different health plan.