Newsletter: Join My Telephone Town Hall

Statement

Dear Friend,

On Monday, July 21st, at 7:00 p.m. MDT, I will host a telephone town hall to discuss the issues important to you and your neighbors. I look forward to hearing from you and providing important updates in Congress and Colorado.

Improving Safety Practices at the CDC
Last month, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) employees at the agency's Bioterrorism Rapid Response and Advanced Technology (BRRAT) lab in Atlanta, Georgia transferred potentially live samples of anthrax to two other labs, exposing dozens of CDC employees to this public health threat.

On Wednesday, CDC Director Tom Frieden testified on these safety lapses before the Energy and Commerce's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. As the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, I sought answers to how these errors occurred and highlighted additional reports of alarming safety problems I uncovered during the investigation. While some inspections of CDC facilities have been previously reported, these additional inspections indicate this problem has been more prevalent than previously thought.

I am deeply troubled by these series of alarming failures that could have had deadly consequences. What is even more troubling is that these mistakes reveal a larger problem with the culture of safety at the CDC. I made clear to Director Frieden that the change in culture has to come from within the agency itself and that Congress will continue to these safety issues very seriously

As always, I encourage you to follow me on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news from Washington and in Colorado. While you're there, be sure to visit the "Contact" page and send me an email about what matters most to you and your family. Finally, be sure to share this email with your friends, family, and neighbors so that they too can be a part of this important dialogue.

Sincerely,

Diana DeGette
Member of Congress

Source