From CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang:
Gov. Gavin Newsom has tapped two prominent former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials with jumpstarting a new public health initiative — though details of what precisely the initiative will accomplish in the coming months are sparse.
Former CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez and former chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry, both of whom have publicly sparred with Trump administration policies, will advise the newly minted Public Health Network Innovation Exchange.
Monarez was fired in August after reportedly refusing to rubberstamp recommendations made by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked vaccine committee, which includes prominent vaccine skeptics. Houry resigned partially in protest.
“It’s not a shadow CDC we’re creating, but it’s a shield to what’s going on,” Newsom said.
So, what will the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange, or PHNIX, do?
- In a press conference, Newsom said the purpose is to rebuild public confidence in public health institutions and improve the technology that public health uses to track diseases and monitor trends.
- Monarez will oversee innovation and technology for the new program. The state could partner with the private sector and academia to create real-time data sharing systems for health departments or to leverage AI, she said.
- Houry will help the state develop partnerships with other public health organizations, building on California’s existing West Coast Health Alliance, which makes vaccine recommendations, and the Governors Public Health Alliance.
- The group will also search for funding, both public and private, to bolster public health.
To begin, California lawmakers allocated $4 million to the initiative in this year’s budget.
It’s not yet clear:
- How the $4 million will be spent and what portion will go toward paying Monarez and Houry;
- Whether any other states or public health organizations have formally agreed to partner with California;
- When the PHNIX is expected to accomplish its aims by;
- What kind of additional funding it expects to need to do those things.
“This is about upholding science, integrity and trust,” State Public Health Officer Dr. Erica Pan said.
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