Recent news of COVID-19 has brought about many mentions of the CDC and their efforts to combat it. The media is filled with the latest health reports from the CDC, constantly encouraging the public and healthcare professionals to follow recommended guidelines and practices. While most Atlantans are familiar with the CDC, many are not aware of who they actually are and what this Atlanta-based agency does to protect the public’s health and safety.

What is the CDC?

Headquartered in Atlanta near Emory University, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is a major operating component of the Department of Health and Human Services. As the nation’s health protection agency, the CDC works 24/7 to protect America from domestic and foreign health and safety threats by connecting state and local health departments across the country. Whether the disease is chronic or acute, curable or preventable, or human error or deliberate, the CDC works hard to fight it and encourage communities and citizens to do the same.

What do they do?

Nearly 120,000 CDC employees work in 120 countries to provide health and safety research, reporting and education to the public. In today’s 21st century, the CDC puts forth every effort possible to discover threats and protect our nation from them. With the help of cutting-edge health technology, the CDC is able use advanced computing and lab analysis to respond to and combat emerging threats, as well as detect them before they reach our country’s borders. Through the power of science, their knowledge is put to action in order to track these diseases and find ways to prevent them from spreading.

The CDC isn’t all about the science and technology of health and safety. Having such an emphasis on the communities and citizens affected by disease, the organization is also dedicated to providing health education and promotion. The agency aims to build strong, well-resourced health leaders by working with the health workforce at national, state and local levels. They provide these health professionals with the information and training they need to improve the effectiveness of medical practices and save more lives. The CDC also works to encourage the public to take responsibility for their own health by promoting healthy and safe behaviors. The most common ways the agency does this is through listing the latest data and reports publicly on their website and by hosting meetings on the subject.

To learn more about the CDC and their health and safety efforts, visit www.cdc.gov.