Bipartisan Call for Secretary Kennedy to Address Injury Center Staffing Crisis

ATLANTA, September 28, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Safe States Alliance, a leading public health association, has applauded a bipartisan call for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to address the critical staffing and hiring challenges at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (Injury Center).

Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) have urged Secretary Kennedy to take action to address the recent workforce reductions and new hiring processes that have left the Injury Center with significant vacancies and a lack of stable leadership. The new hiring processes are reportedly tedious and confusing, adding to the workload of an already strained workforce and severely limiting the Center's ability to fulfill its mission of preventing injuries and violence across the nation.

The Injury Center, which funds programs in every state addressing urgent public health challenges such as suicide, overdose, intimate partner violence, falls, and drowning, has seen a significant reduction in its workforce. More than 200 staff members have been eliminated through recent reductions in force, leaving the Center with fewer than 400 full-time equivalent employees, down from more than 700 in January 2025. This represents a 45 percent reduction in the Center's workforce at a time when communities continue to face evolving health challenges.

Sharon Gilmartin, Executive Director of Safe States Alliance, expressed concern over the impact of these changes.

The congressional letter calls for streamlining current hiring processes, clarifying roles and timelines across HHS and CDC, implementing more flexible and merit-based applicant screening, providing timely notification to qualified employees affected by reductions in force, and improving communication with hiring officials. Safe States Alliance and Representatives Dingell and Fitzpatrick are urging prompt action to strengthen the Injury Center's workforce, which is essential to protecting federal investments, supporting state and local prevention efforts, and ensuring the nation can respond effectively to preventable injuries and violence.

The reduction in the Injury Center's workforce has raised significant concerns about the Center's ability to continue its vital work. With more than 45 percent of its workforce gone, the Center faces critical vacancies and a significant loss of institutional knowledge. The new hiring processes are reportedly confusing and time-consuming, adding to the workload of an already strained workforce. This situation has left the Injury Center with fewer than 400 full-time equivalent employees, down from more than 700 in January 2025, and has severely limited the Center's capacity to address urgent public health challenges.