A while back, when the first news came out about the current administration limiting access to COVID vaccines, I called the CDC to leave a comment urging them to continue to recommend universal access. The woman I spoke to was so kind and empathetic and we had a lovely conversation about where things were going and our hopes for expertise and reason to prevail. I thanked her for her work and left the conversation deeply grateful for professionals like her staying in their jobs even as political appointees eroded the agency’s credibility. When I first heard this story all I could think of was this person and whether she was okay, traumatized, still willing to come to work every day hoping to help guide decisions aimed at keeping us all safe and healthy. I hope she is because we need her and her colleagues more than ever, but I hate that she and others have been put in harms way by people who seek to turn everything into partisan warfare for their own political gain.
I’m a retired Health Officer (Macomb County, MI), and to see not just the programs but the very VALUES I tried to uplift for my entire 40+ year career discarded with ignorant contempt is a bitter pill. What, what will it take to remove this authoritarian disdain for the common good from our best institutions? With the presidency and the Supreme Court both corrupted, and the Democrats in Congress neutered, I think the answer lies in national action by the people - the resistance, or as they call it, “non-cooperation,” already in its early phases and led by One Million Rising.
I have worked as a clinical nurse for 3 decades… I hold a CA-PHN… In 2016, I receive the Performance Excellence Award from the NM DOH for my work in vaccinations and school health… From 1/2020-4/2021, I volunteered as a Covid rapid response nurse.
Hospitals began to implement Covid vaccine mandates and I had a serious decision to make: Termination or Vaccination. As one can imagine, as a single mom with 3 sons in college and a mortgage, termination was a terrifying thought… Yet, the Legal Nurse Consultant/Expert Witness in me could not simply accept “safe and effective” claims without reading the medical/scientific research myself. Therefore, I started a very deep dive into Covid and Covid vaccines in 2021.
I want to thank the public health workers in our country, every single one of you! I am deeply grateful for the work you do. Its value is immeasurable. Please know that you are not alone and many folks support you. This is a profoundly disturbing time for all of us. Witnessing needless deaths of children, utter stupidity and delusion in govt, and cruelty and ignorance is beyond difficult. All of us must try to weather this storm. I do believe ultimately it will pass. As someone said (and I'm sorry I do not remember who): The storms are not the story. We are the story. Keep looking up.
For most of my life people who work in Public Health have been my heroes. My Mom as diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989 and while her oncologist and physicians were awesome, I know if was so many people working that my Mom lived until 97. My grandfather was a patient in the mid 60's at the NIH Hospital in Bethesda trying to determine what he was suffering from. He didn't make it, but I was so grateful to everyone who worked so hard for him. When the pandemic hit....the collective you were amazing through such tough conditions. And now!!! I am so proud of you for hanging in there and doing what you do best. My local media station on Friday night did say that CDC buildings had been hit. The fact that the Secretary has not supported you all in public is gut wrenching to me. I may be just one person....but please know I care and support you. Thank you for everything you do.
I second you. I do not have the personal history that you do, but I remember having chicken pox and mumps (never got measles), and because I understand that at least chicken pox can have effect later in life, i.e. shingles, plus having a slew of medical issues myself now, I too am grateful for those who work in public health.
I send my utmost respect and gratitude to you, Katelyn, for all you have done to keep us informed and grounded throughout the past 6 years and absolutely support and am grateful for the work of all of your colleagues. As a commentator said above, as humans, at times we all made the mistake of dismissing issues brought forward by " the other side." I very much appreciated it when you took the time to examine and acknowledge the mistakes you and others on " our side" made during Covid. That counts for a lot. Science after all is supposed to self correct what new information.
As a working nurse practitioner in cancer care, my heart and respect go out to the CDC and its vigilant protectors. Thank you for carrying the torch of new discoveries as guardians of population health. I am holding faith that you are able to continue the good work that you are doing.
Thanks so much for this post. We all feel so overwhelmed. Thanks for sharing your experience and pointing us in the right direction to reach out to others!
I am just not sure how we have turned on a dime from the pandemic times when we clapped out of our windows for health workers in the public sphere to treating them as enemy. I turn to your posts for information I can trust. Now, I read for what I can do. The health of our public is absolutely at stake. Thank you for continuing to lead.
As an RN and Infection Preventionist in Rural America, I rely on the expertise of the CDC and Public Health to keep my community safe. It sickens me that those who work tirelessly to keep us safe are being threatened and it is inconceivable that science itself is being questioned. Please know that you are seen and appreciated. Your work is invaluable! Take what you need to get though this. You are not alone in the fight to preserve the integrity of healthcare.
Thank you, not only for this post, but also for your ongoing work and involvement. As a retired physician, I still marvel at the animosity that is aimed at those of us in the caring professions by some who are not in it. It seems that there is no understanding of or sharing of the altruism involved.
Thank you for doing the work you do to make our world a safer and healthier place. Please know that there are plenty of us who see you, who believe you, who trust you and support you. Your work is beyond vital - not just to the US, but to the world. I know it's hard and unfair, but keep going as you're able. Take care of yourselves and colleagues. Call for help when needed. You are tremendously admired and appreciated by more people than you could know.
I am a retired hospitalist who became a retiree in 2015. I have 6 siblings younger than myself.
While I cannot imagine being in your position post attack, I have found it sad and very frustrating trying to defend the public health servants who have done and continue to do their work because it is the right thing to do in the face of a new and devastatingly serious threat to the health of Americans, and the rest of the world. Even some members of my own family have been doubters in several ways. Somehow, the general public, and even many of the medical professional public seems to distrust and denigrate the work you guys (physicians, nurses, technicians, other health care workers as well as those who work in hospital cafeterias, or in housekeeping departments) do. To think that simply getting ready to go to work is a life threatening behavior is a horrible thing!
Before I retired, I was a healthcare risk manager, served on the Infection Prevention Committee for decades, and I was also involved with pandemic preparation long before COVID (and i retired before COVID). We depended on the CDC and our state health department for up to date information. I know how important epidemiology and public health endeavors are. I am proud of how our county health department, Cornell University, and our regional health system worked together to rapidly implement PCR COVID testing locally, as well as rapidly create a massive COVID immunization program as soon as the vaccine was available, starting with healthcare workers and first responders, then those most at risk, then the general public. I will never forget what they were able to do in record time. For those at CDC, I am shocked that there was little to no media coverage of the shooting incident, I am even more than shocked at the lack of support from the Secretary of HHS. It is sickening that there is so much disinformation out there about vaccines and health, and how that will negatively affect the health of our country. Please know that I care about and support all who work for public health in any way. I have been sharing YLE posts via social media to show my support and counteract disinformation. I will continue to press for adequate funding for public health initiatives locally, as well as at the state and federal level. Thank you, public health professionals for all that you do.
I would also like to drop a note of gratitude to all of the public health workers at CDC and across our country. I’m a family practice physician and I know I could not do my work without the tireless efforts from the countless humans taking care of my patients in ways I can’t even imagine. I know it may not feel like it, but there is an army of people out here in support of you, rooting for you and continually grateful for what you do. No one deserves what you’ve been through. We see you and we are with you.
Thanks for your insightful and practical post and for including the reminder to avoid dehumanizing the perpetrators. There is too much dehumanizing going on, which is only worsening our polarization and violence. To CDC workers: The horror you experience was unspeakable. I feel for you as you recover. Public health is the unrecognized diamond in our healthcare system, responsible for most of our improvements in longevity and well-being. I have always been a fan of your work and now even more so.
A while back, when the first news came out about the current administration limiting access to COVID vaccines, I called the CDC to leave a comment urging them to continue to recommend universal access. The woman I spoke to was so kind and empathetic and we had a lovely conversation about where things were going and our hopes for expertise and reason to prevail. I thanked her for her work and left the conversation deeply grateful for professionals like her staying in their jobs even as political appointees eroded the agency’s credibility. When I first heard this story all I could think of was this person and whether she was okay, traumatized, still willing to come to work every day hoping to help guide decisions aimed at keeping us all safe and healthy. I hope she is because we need her and her colleagues more than ever, but I hate that she and others have been put in harms way by people who seek to turn everything into partisan warfare for their own political gain.
This made me cry. Thank you for sharing the story and putting a human face on CDC. I’ll try all in my power to get her and her colleagues this note.
Me, too.
This. Bless you. This is why we do this.
I’m a retired Health Officer (Macomb County, MI), and to see not just the programs but the very VALUES I tried to uplift for my entire 40+ year career discarded with ignorant contempt is a bitter pill. What, what will it take to remove this authoritarian disdain for the common good from our best institutions? With the presidency and the Supreme Court both corrupted, and the Democrats in Congress neutered, I think the answer lies in national action by the people - the resistance, or as they call it, “non-cooperation,” already in its early phases and led by One Million Rising.
I have worked as a clinical nurse for 3 decades… I hold a CA-PHN… In 2016, I receive the Performance Excellence Award from the NM DOH for my work in vaccinations and school health… From 1/2020-4/2021, I volunteered as a Covid rapid response nurse.
Hospitals began to implement Covid vaccine mandates and I had a serious decision to make: Termination or Vaccination. As one can imagine, as a single mom with 3 sons in college and a mortgage, termination was a terrifying thought… Yet, the Legal Nurse Consultant/Expert Witness in me could not simply accept “safe and effective” claims without reading the medical/scientific research myself. Therefore, I started a very deep dive into Covid and Covid vaccines in 2021.
I chose termination.
I want to thank the public health workers in our country, every single one of you! I am deeply grateful for the work you do. Its value is immeasurable. Please know that you are not alone and many folks support you. This is a profoundly disturbing time for all of us. Witnessing needless deaths of children, utter stupidity and delusion in govt, and cruelty and ignorance is beyond difficult. All of us must try to weather this storm. I do believe ultimately it will pass. As someone said (and I'm sorry I do not remember who): The storms are not the story. We are the story. Keep looking up.
For most of my life people who work in Public Health have been my heroes. My Mom as diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989 and while her oncologist and physicians were awesome, I know if was so many people working that my Mom lived until 97. My grandfather was a patient in the mid 60's at the NIH Hospital in Bethesda trying to determine what he was suffering from. He didn't make it, but I was so grateful to everyone who worked so hard for him. When the pandemic hit....the collective you were amazing through such tough conditions. And now!!! I am so proud of you for hanging in there and doing what you do best. My local media station on Friday night did say that CDC buildings had been hit. The fact that the Secretary has not supported you all in public is gut wrenching to me. I may be just one person....but please know I care and support you. Thank you for everything you do.
I second you. I do not have the personal history that you do, but I remember having chicken pox and mumps (never got measles), and because I understand that at least chicken pox can have effect later in life, i.e. shingles, plus having a slew of medical issues myself now, I too am grateful for those who work in public health.
I send my utmost respect and gratitude to you, Katelyn, for all you have done to keep us informed and grounded throughout the past 6 years and absolutely support and am grateful for the work of all of your colleagues. As a commentator said above, as humans, at times we all made the mistake of dismissing issues brought forward by " the other side." I very much appreciated it when you took the time to examine and acknowledge the mistakes you and others on " our side" made during Covid. That counts for a lot. Science after all is supposed to self correct what new information.
As a working nurse practitioner in cancer care, my heart and respect go out to the CDC and its vigilant protectors. Thank you for carrying the torch of new discoveries as guardians of population health. I am holding faith that you are able to continue the good work that you are doing.
We must persevere.
Thanks so much for this post. We all feel so overwhelmed. Thanks for sharing your experience and pointing us in the right direction to reach out to others!
I am just not sure how we have turned on a dime from the pandemic times when we clapped out of our windows for health workers in the public sphere to treating them as enemy. I turn to your posts for information I can trust. Now, I read for what I can do. The health of our public is absolutely at stake. Thank you for continuing to lead.
Thank you for allowing us to participate In processing what happened and how we can respond!
As an RN and Infection Preventionist in Rural America, I rely on the expertise of the CDC and Public Health to keep my community safe. It sickens me that those who work tirelessly to keep us safe are being threatened and it is inconceivable that science itself is being questioned. Please know that you are seen and appreciated. Your work is invaluable! Take what you need to get though this. You are not alone in the fight to preserve the integrity of healthcare.
Thank you, not only for this post, but also for your ongoing work and involvement. As a retired physician, I still marvel at the animosity that is aimed at those of us in the caring professions by some who are not in it. It seems that there is no understanding of or sharing of the altruism involved.
Thank you for doing the work you do to make our world a safer and healthier place. Please know that there are plenty of us who see you, who believe you, who trust you and support you. Your work is beyond vital - not just to the US, but to the world. I know it's hard and unfair, but keep going as you're able. Take care of yourselves and colleagues. Call for help when needed. You are tremendously admired and appreciated by more people than you could know.
I am a retired hospitalist who became a retiree in 2015. I have 6 siblings younger than myself.
While I cannot imagine being in your position post attack, I have found it sad and very frustrating trying to defend the public health servants who have done and continue to do their work because it is the right thing to do in the face of a new and devastatingly serious threat to the health of Americans, and the rest of the world. Even some members of my own family have been doubters in several ways. Somehow, the general public, and even many of the medical professional public seems to distrust and denigrate the work you guys (physicians, nurses, technicians, other health care workers as well as those who work in hospital cafeterias, or in housekeeping departments) do. To think that simply getting ready to go to work is a life threatening behavior is a horrible thing!
Thank you.
Before I retired, I was a healthcare risk manager, served on the Infection Prevention Committee for decades, and I was also involved with pandemic preparation long before COVID (and i retired before COVID). We depended on the CDC and our state health department for up to date information. I know how important epidemiology and public health endeavors are. I am proud of how our county health department, Cornell University, and our regional health system worked together to rapidly implement PCR COVID testing locally, as well as rapidly create a massive COVID immunization program as soon as the vaccine was available, starting with healthcare workers and first responders, then those most at risk, then the general public. I will never forget what they were able to do in record time. For those at CDC, I am shocked that there was little to no media coverage of the shooting incident, I am even more than shocked at the lack of support from the Secretary of HHS. It is sickening that there is so much disinformation out there about vaccines and health, and how that will negatively affect the health of our country. Please know that I care about and support all who work for public health in any way. I have been sharing YLE posts via social media to show my support and counteract disinformation. I will continue to press for adequate funding for public health initiatives locally, as well as at the state and federal level. Thank you, public health professionals for all that you do.
I would also like to drop a note of gratitude to all of the public health workers at CDC and across our country. I’m a family practice physician and I know I could not do my work without the tireless efforts from the countless humans taking care of my patients in ways I can’t even imagine. I know it may not feel like it, but there is an army of people out here in support of you, rooting for you and continually grateful for what you do. No one deserves what you’ve been through. We see you and we are with you.
This column--and the powerful template--are powerful pieces, not just of support but of enacted empathy. Thank YOU.
Thanks for your insightful and practical post and for including the reminder to avoid dehumanizing the perpetrators. There is too much dehumanizing going on, which is only worsening our polarization and violence. To CDC workers: The horror you experience was unspeakable. I feel for you as you recover. Public health is the unrecognized diamond in our healthcare system, responsible for most of our improvements in longevity and well-being. I have always been a fan of your work and now even more so.