By Barb Marston.
Like angular blue flowers, “Save the CDC” signs are sprouting across our neighborhood. A colleague and friend distributed the first batch; I’ve been distributing the most recent ones. Sometimes I know who lives at the homes where the signs are displayed, but often I don’t—which makes it even more meaningful. It brightens my day to see them, and I hope it lifts the spirits of the many CDC employees who call this neighborhood home.
I retired from the CDC in 2022 after many rewarding years. Back in 1990, just as I was finishing my Internal Medicine residency, I was thrilled to be accepted into the CDC’s applied epidemiology training program—the Epidemic Intelligence Service, or EIS. I loved clinical care, but it was also deeply fulfilling to contribute to CDC’s broader mission: understanding and improving public health at the population level. We worked to identify the source of outbreaks, figure out who was most at risk, and implement solutions that saved lives. Like many of my colleagues, I worked long hours and often had my life upended by short-notice travel to respond to urgent threats.
The CDC’s prevention work is easy to take for granted. We don’t always wake up appreciating that our food and water are among the safest in the world—thanks in part to CDC staff working with local teams to identify and remove contaminated products. We might not realize that a CDC-supported public health campaign encouraged an older loved one to get a flu shot—perhaps preventing more serious outcomes like hospitalization or death, and saving significant medical costs. We might not be aware that it’s CDC scientists who analyze evidence that confirms that masks perform as promised, and who track the health effects of wildfire smoke in Los Angeles or other environmental exposures.
Yes, CDC—like any large organization—has room for improvement. But many of its programs are highly effective and essential. Today, many of those programs are being dismantled, and experienced staff are being let go without regard for the expertise we’re losing.
I now help coordinate a group of retired CDC employees pushing back against budget cuts and staffing rollbacks. If you’d like to display a yard sign, support employees who have been fired, attend one of our support rallies, help us reach out to elected officials–or would just like more information, please let me know.
Like Joni Mitchell said—you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.
If you would like a yard sign, email Barb Marston: