Latest news with #Fess
CBS News
02-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Hundreds of Minnesota Department of Health employees laid off, services cut
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is grappling with significant layoffs, affecting approximately 300 employees, after the federal government slashed over $220 million in grant funding last week. The reduction is expected to have wide-reaching consequences for the state's public health efforts, according to MDH Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham. Lydia Fess, an epidemiologist at MDH, is among those impacted by the cuts. After five years of service, she is now anxiously awaiting confirmation about her job's future. "I'm waiting to hear if that notice is definitive," she said. The layoffs are particularly hard-hitting for Fess, whose department focused on disease prevention and control, was deeply affected. She believes the work her team is doing is more crucial than ever, particularly as they tackle health threats like measles, avian influenza, syphilis, HIV and more. "If we're not able to do that work, really, the burden is shifted not only to the employees left behind, but to the Minnesotans and Americans who are affected by those diseases," Fess said. MDH's cuts stem from a reduction in federal funding that had been allocated for pandemic-era programs . Despite the funding being used during the pandemic, Cunningham says they've extended the use well beyond that to advance health infrastructure. "We did not want to do this. We were forced to do this because we are so heavily reliant on the federal government, and the federal government has made key decisions now that will impair people's health," Cunningham said. The cuts have not only affected MDH staff but also more than 180 of its partners who were reliant on the funding. These partners will now have to cease their work, including community vaccine clinics. "Now we are rolling back, in many ways, to pre-pandemic times and ways of working to our detriment," she said. According to MDH, the reduction in funding is expected to have consequences, including: For Fess, the changes have made her question the future of public health work, something she had spent a decade working toward. "I don't think there's much of a public health to continue into, to be honest. The federal jobs are being decimated," she said. "The ones who call us because they're scared, because they had a bat in their bedroom and they don't know if they need rabies shots, I'm thinking about them." Despite the uncertainty and challenges ahead, Fess is concerned about the Minnesotans who rely on the services that will be impacted by these cuts. "We are working now to figure out how much of this critical public health work we can save and continue," Cunningham said. "The sudden and unexpected action from the federal government left us with no choice but to proceed with layoffs immediately. It is devastating to be forced to reduce critical services and give notices to so many dedicated public health professionals because the federal government decided to renege on its commitment to our state. They left us in the lurch, with no advance notice, no close-out period, halting work that would have helped us address chronic gaps in the system and be better prepared for future threats."
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Yahoo
Recent terrorist attacks cast shadow over Germany's Carnival season
A series of recent terrorist attacks in Germany is casting a shadow over preparations for Carnival season, which begins in earnest this year at the end of February. "Security measures have been adapted. There are additional requirements compared with last year," German Carnival Association head Klaus-Ludwig Fess told dpa. Celebrations kick off on February 27 with Weiberfastnacht, the night when women dictate events, and move on to Carnival Weekend culminating on Shrove Monday - known in Germany as Rose Monday - on March 3, when large parades are held in the major Carnival centres of Cologne, Dusseldorf and Mainz, and smaller events throughout the Rhineland. Carnival is a period of merrymaking before the solemn Christian fasting season of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday falls on March 5 this year. Fess said that some parades had already been called off for security reasons. Following on from a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, bollards are being erected to block entry to vehicles. "The routes are being re-evaluated. We are taking a look at where vehicles could drive into a parade," Fess said. Six people were killed in Magdeburg, and almost 300 were injured. On Thursday, a car ploughed into a demonstration in Munich, injuring 36. Local authorities were tightening their restrictions in response, Fess said. Interviewed by the Funke Media Group, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "The federal and state-level police authorities are doing all in their power to guarantee the safety at gatherings of this kind." According to the association, around 3,500 parades are planned across Germany. The association draws together more that 5,300 groups from all 16 states.
