NEW YORK (AP) — One year ago, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. committed to restoring faith in federal health agencies through promises of 'radical transparency.' However, the reality has shown a stark contrast, with an alarming reduction in the flow of critical health information previously available from the government.
Efforts to gather and disseminate health-related data have suffered due to substantial layoffs at federal agencies and the longest government shutdown in history. This has been exacerbated by Trump-era executive orders that led to the removal of key health agency websites, compelling researchers to archive datasets, which resulted in a lawsuit that mandated their restoration.
Ariel Beccia, a researcher at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, expressed her frustration, stating, 'Every single day felt like something essential was taken away by federal officials.' She emphasized the need for comprehensive public health data as governmental transparency dwindled.
Responding to inquiries about the availability of data, a spokesperson for Secretary Kennedy disputed the premise of these concerns, framing it as a flawed inquiry. 'Secretary Kennedy is leading the most transparent HHS in history,' argued spokesperson Andrew Nixon, who highlighted ongoing transparency initiatives including a webpage detailing canceled contracts and previously available information.
Nevertheless, many crucial health reports have either been delayed or never released under Kennedy's administration:
- Abortion Data: The CDC failed to publish its annual abortion surveillance report, which was initially scheduled for November.
- Drug Overdose Statistics: The cessation of the Drug Abuse Warning Network has weakened the ability to monitor overdose trends and emergency room data.
- Food Safety Monitoring: Federal health officials, under the Trump administration, reduced required reporting on foodborne illnesses, limiting monitoring to just two pathogens, raising alarms among food safety experts.
- LGBTQ Health Metrics: There has been a cessation in the collection of essential data related to transgender healthcare and associated health risks.
The data's vanishing act has been criticized as detrimental to the nation's public health, with experts underscoring the importance of maintaining robust data collection and reporting.
As the pressures from various advocacy groups intensify, the continued trends may further jeopardize public health initiatives and erode trust in the agencies meant to safeguard American health.
