SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a new California-led public health initiative, tapping what he called a \u201cdream team\u201d of former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials who publicly clashed with the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
Newsom said the initiative will be led by Dr. Susan Monarez, the former CDC director, and Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC\u2019s former chief medical officer. The pair will lead the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange, or PHNIX, which the governor\u2019s office said will \u201cmodernize public health infrastructure and maintain trust in science-driven decision-making.\u201d <\/p>\n
The initiative was created to improve the systems that detect and investigate public health trends and build a modern public-health backbone that connects data, technology and funding across states. The state is putting $4 million toward the initiative, which Newsom said was allocated in the most recently signed budget in June \u201cin anticipation of this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see this assault on science and truth and trust, where we\u2019re seeing scientific inquiry being attacked, we\u2019re seeing the CDC itself kneecapped by this administration,\u201d Newsom said Monday, adding that there have been mass firings at the federal health agency. \u201cWe also felt we needed to do more than just play defense. We needed to get on the offense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monarez will serve as strategic health technology and funding advisor for the initiative, helping advance private sector partnerships to better integrate healthcare data systems and enable faster disease surveillance. <\/p>\n
Newsom\u2019s office did not respond to a request for the consultant contracts for the new hires and did not provide details on how much each would be paid. The hirings were first reported by the New York Times.<\/p>\n
Monarez said \u201cCalifornia is leading the way\u201d and will \u201cno longer sit on the sidelines and hope for a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalifornia is investing in innovating now to build the public health systems that will protect lives, strengthen communities and create a future in which all Californians can thrive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Houry was named senior regional and global public health medical advisor for PHNIX. Newsom\u2019s office also announced that it will work with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, founder and chief executive of Your Local Epidemiologist. Jetelina will advise the California Department of Public Health on building trust in public health.<\/p>\n