The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed health programs at the state, territorial, tribal, and local level at the end of last month that they had to agree to a list of the CDC’s priorities within 5 business days, July 1.

The new priorities include a focus on “parental authority” in education and a move away from overdose prevention/harm reduction strategies.

The details:

It is not clear whether all state, territorial, tribal, and local programs received the notice. Programs focused on immunizations, HIV, hepatitis, and tobacco did.
The memo said that Housing First, harm reduction, and safe consumption programs for substance use are deprioritized. CDC is also prioritizing evidence-based programs to reduce homelessness, drug use, and “public disorder,” which is not defined in the memo.
Why it’s important: While the requirement was not explicitly tied to funding, the note makes reference to a previous statement from CDC that funding may be cancelled if programs do not comply with the agency’s terms. Researchers and others working in public health raised concerns about increased political interference in public health.