NIOSH to sustain heavy staff cuts under HHS reorganization plan
Washington — The Department of Health and Human Services will reportedly cut two-thirds of NIOSH’s staff – more than 870 employees – as part of a restructuring plan announced March 27.
According to a CBS News report, the layoffs will affect the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory and NIOSH’s miner safety and health branches. Those cuts are expected to go into effect by June 30.
In addition, NIOSH is set to merge with four other agencies to form the Administration for a Healthy America:
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
According to a March 27 press release, this administration will focus on:
- Environmental health
- HIV/AIDS
- Maternal and child health
- Mental health
- Primary care
- Workforce development
“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the release. “We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic.”
The AFL-CIO disagrees.
“Firing the NIOSH workforce sets up a domino effect of serious and dangerous consequences,” federation head Liz Shuler said in an April 1 statement. “The government will no longer research emerging health hazards, methods to prevent mine explosions, or certify the safety of respirators and other critical personal protective equipment.”
Shuler added: “NIOSH is a highly skilled and efficient agency that delivers critical health and safety expertise for both workers and employers – protecting workers in some of the most dangerous industries, like coal mining, firefighting, construction and health care – and is responsible for providing medical monitoring and services to 9/11 responders and survivors.”
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has scheduled a hearing for April 10 to discuss the restructuring plan. Kennedy has been invited to participate in the hearing, announced April 1 by committee chair Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
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