01/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/07/2024 22:48
Senator Reverend Warnock visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta to meet with top public health leaders and experts to discuss the CDC's work to combat the maternal mortality crisis and invest in public health, as well as the Senator's efforts to secure robust federal funding
Senator Reverend Warnock learned about CDC's efforts to protect the nation's public health in the CDC's Emergency Operations Center and Insectary, and the importance of federal funding in keeping Georgia and the country safe from infectious diseases
Senator Reverend Warnock is pushing for fully funding operationsat the CDC for the next fiscal year, which includes $118 million for safe motherhood and infant programs
Senator Warnock led the charge to request full funding for the CDC in the annual government funding legislation
ICYMI from Georgia Recorder:Warnock meets with CDC leaders in push to increase federal funding for the public health agency
ICYMI from WSB-TV:Sen. Warnock tours CDC, shares concerns over 'intolerable' maternal mortality crisis in US
Senator Reverend Warnock to WABE: "Way too many women die just trying to bring a baby into the world. The folks at the CDC are on it, and what they need in this moment is support from the Congress"
Senator Reverend Warnock to Georgia Recorder: "The United States of America has the unenviable distinction of having our maternal mortality rates much higher than any of the other Western wealthy nations. It is particularly acute in the South. And for Black women, the rate is as much as three times the rate of their white sisters, even when they have the income and the insurance. That's intolerable"
Above: Senator Warnock visits CDC for first time since taking office; photos provided by the CDC
Atlanta, GA - On Friday, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time as Senator to learn about the agency's efforts to protect public health, including work to combat the maternal mortality crisis and how federal funding plays a role in keeping Georgia and the country safe from infectious diseases.
The Senator met with CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen prior to a tour of the facility to discuss their shared commitment to protecting the health and well-being of Georgians and Americans nationwide. At the Atlanta-based agency, Senator Warnock met with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry and other leaders to learn about the agency's readiness and response efforts for public health crises around the globe, efforts to combat the maternal mortality crisis, and to tour the Insectary where research includes studying mosquito-borne diseases.
As a champion for healthy mothers and babies, the Senator was particularly interested in mutual efforts to curb maternal mortality and support healthy women, mothers, and families. The CDC champions several programs geared towards building the national infrastructure for maternal mortality prevention, including Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) and the Hear Her Campaign. Federal funding will support implementation of multi-level maternal mortality prevention activities in communities with a focus on the first year after a birth.
Senator Warnock also toured the CDC's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which serves as a location for public health experts to monitor public health threats daily and in real time to manage emergency responses to identified threats. These threats include natural disasters (like hurricanes), foodborne disease outbreaks, environmental emergencies, and infectious diseases.
In May, Senator Warnock sent an appropriations request to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education for Fiscal Year 2025 to urge fully funding operations at the CDC for $9.7 billion-including $118 million for Safe Motherhood and Infant Health programs being done at the CDC. This request supports increasing access to primary care and vaccines for at-risk populations, improving maternal health outcomes and supporting healthy families, and advancing research to combat the opioid epidemic.
See below coverage of Senator Reverend Warnock's first official visit to the CDC:
Georgia Recorder: Warnock meets with CDC leaders in push to increase federal funding for the public health agency
June 28, 2024
WSB-TV: Sen. Warnock tours CDC, shares concerns over 'intolerable' maternal mortality crisis in US
June 29, 2024
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