Health Workers, Most Of Them Black, Listed As ‘Targets’ Over DEI ‘Offenses’
A website called "DEI Watch List" has had a chilling effect on federal employees, who are now concerned for their safety after their photos and personal information were published online. Meanwhile, physician and advocacy groups are pushing back against the administration's data purge.
NBC News:
Federal Health Workers Terrified After 'DEI' Website Publishes List Of 'Targets'
Federal health workers are expressing fear and alarm after a website called “DEI Watch List” published the photos, names and public information of a number of workers across health agencies, describing them at one point as “targets.” It’s unclear when the website, which lists mostly Black employees who work in agencies primarily within the Department of Health and Human Services, first appeared. “Offenses” for the workers listed on the website include working on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, donating to Democrats and using pronouns in their bios. (Lovelace Jr. and Edwards, 2/5)
MedPage Today:
Physician Group Sues Trump Health Agencies Over Scrubbed Sites, Data
Physicians have launched a legal challenge against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and federal health agencies for removing webpages from health-related websites. Doctors for America filed a lawsuit in federal court against the OPM, CDC, FDA, and HHS over the removal of a "broad range of health-related data and other information used every day" by health professionals and researchers. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Public Citizen Litigation Group, the legal arm of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen. (Henderson, 2/4)
Bloomberg:
Congress Urged To Protect Federal Statistics From Trump ‘Purge’
A federal statistics advocacy group is urging Congress to restore any government data removed by the Trump administration and prevent it from happening again. The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics has drafted a letter to Senate and House leadership upon the shutdown of some parts of government websites, as well as removal of several health datasets in recent days. COPAFS is collecting signatures from individuals and organizations until Friday. (Tanzi, 2/4)
MedPage Today:
Public Health Journal Won't Be Complicit In Trump Admin's Censorship
Studies censored by government employees will have a tough time getting published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), the journal's leadership said during an interview with MedPage Today's editor in chief. "We at the American Journal of Public Health have no interest in following the president's prohibitions on language," said Georges Benjamin, MD, publisher of AJPH and executive director of its parent organization, the American Public Health Association. (Fiore, 2/4)
MedPage Today:
ACOG Will Host Contraceptive Guidance For Ob/Gyns Amid CDC Website Purge
Amid a political environment in which government websites are being gutted of vital health information, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has stepped up to host PDFs of government-issued ob/gyn-related guidance at risk of being purged. The organization has long listed and linked out to clinical guidance from the CDC and other medical professional associations that it endorses. (Robertson, 2/4)
The Washington Post:
The Words Putting Science Funding In The Crosshairs Of Trump’s Orders
“Women.” “Diverse.” “Institutional.” “Historically.” (Johnson, Dance and Achenbach, 2/4)
