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• In Briefs

CDC At A Glance

CDC and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are two of the 13 major operating components of the

Department of Health and Human Services. Since its inception in 1946, when CDC was charged with controlling malaria in the United States, the Agency has emerged as and remains today the most reputable source of public health information in the world.

As the scope and breadth of CDC activities have grown, so has the workforce. Today, CDC and ATSDR have more than 8,000 full-time, permanent staff; 118 part-time staff; and approximately 5,000 contract employees. The majority of employees work out of the Atlanta headquarters, but the Agency also has a major presence in diverse geographical areas such as Cincinnati, Ohio; Morgantown, West Virginia; Hyattsville, Maryland; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Puerto Rico; Washington, DC; Spokane, Washington; Durham, North Carolina; and, Fort Collins, Colorado; and in 46 countries around the world.

• Women make up 58% of CDC’s workforce
• Staff are from a variety of backgrounds and locations throughout the country and across the globe, with 33% of a minority race/national origin
• Disabled employees constitute 6% of our workforce
• More than 80% holds a bachelors degree or higher

SURVEILLANCE

CDC’s National Health Interview Survey turned 50 this year. Since 1957, the Survey has monitored trends in illness and disability. The numbers are used to track national health objectives. The public health research community also uses these data to help see a more detailed picture of myriad health problems, to identify access barriers to health protection and disease prevention tools, and to evaluate Federal health programs. Highlights from the 2006 survey include

• 61% of adults 18 years of age and over were in excellent or very good health, 27% were in good health, and 12% were in fair or poor health.
• 21% of adults 18 years of age and over were current cigarette smokers, 21% were former smokers, and 59% had never smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
• 62% of adults 18 years of age and over never engaged in any periods of vigorous leisure-time physical activity lasting 10 minutes or more per week; 24% engaged in such activity three or more times per week.
• 57% of men were current regular drinkers compared with 39% of women.
• 36% of adults 18 years of age and over had ever been HIV.
• 8% of adults 18 years of age and over had ever been had diabetes.

PREPAREDNESS

• The number of users for the Epidemic Information Exchange, a secure CDC-based communications system that helps track disease outbreaks, has increased from 890 people in 2001 to 4,885 people in 2007.
• All 50 states now have plans to receive, store, and distribute the Strategic National Stockpile, and CDC reviews these plans regularly to identify gaps in planning.
• CDC deployed more than 170 staff to 31 states to support health department investigations of urgent health problems, such as an unexplained cluster of patients with neurologic disease, a meningitis outbreak, and hurricane-related health threats.
• All 50 states have at least one public health laboratory that can perform rapid tests for anthrax and other bioterrorism agents, and 47 public health laboratories can test for a variety of chemical agents.

COMMUNICATION

• One millionth inquiry received to CDC INFO, with over 1,200 daily inquires
• 94,489 subscribers received CDC.gov email updates
• CDC deployed more than 170 staff to 31 states to support health department investigations of urgent health problems, such as an unexplained cluster of patients with neurologic disease, a meningitis outbreak, and hurricane-related health threats.
• All 50 states have at least one public health laboratory that can perform rapid tests for anthrax and other bioterrorism agents, and 47 public health laboratories can test for a variety of chemical agents.

Fiscal Year 2007 Budget

In an era of limited fiscal resources and many competing priorities, CDC is committed to leveraging resources to achieve maximum health results and reduce health disparities. Prioritizing the agency’s activities within the four overarching Health Protection Goals ensures that we are focused on optimizing health impact in every laboratory on our campus, in every program we fund, in all our health protection research, and in every outbreak we contain.

Our focus on strategic excellence and innovation is illustrated by the incredible progress we have made in 2007 on “Health Impact Planning” for CDC. CDC now has available a robust Web-based tool that pulls together much of the agency’s strategy information, including alignment to the Health Protection Goals, budget, and procurement information at the project level. We are also taking on some tough policy issues, including looking at the future of our role in immunizations and exploring how we can better leverage external spending to create societal change around some of our best science (e.g., health associated with tobacco). We have started work on founding a new virtual “Policy Academy” to help mentor and support CDC’s commitment to health policy analysis. We are especially excited about the work we have done in the past year to achieve organizational excellence, as showcased by the following:

• Received the highest rating on Improved Financial Performance as part of the President’s Management Agenda
• Implemented the Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project that will lead to more efficient distribution of vaccine directly to providers and clinics
• Enhanced financial reporting system to speed up our reporting capability and provide us with tools to better determine fiscal needs for the next year
• Created a business services improvement office to increase the effectiveness of business activities at CDC
• Targeted communication and media activities to successfully raise awareness about such health concerns as chronic fatigue syndrome, multidrug resistant Staphylococcus, foodborne illnesses, and multidrug resistant tuberculosis

In the coming fiscal year, CDC will continue to lead in promoting health among young people and adults, across all life stages, and in schools and communities around the country. With sustained focus and continued investment, we will continue to be prepared for the next public health emergency, we will begin to roll back the impact of a sedentary lifestyle and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, and we will work with partners at home and abroad to ensure a healthy national and international community.