Public Health: Leading Practices Could Help Guide HHS Reform Efforts to Address Risk and Improve Preparedness

Health and Human Services leads and coordinates the federal government’s preparedness for and response to public health emergencies.

This testimony discusses our work over the past decade, which identified ongoing, systemic problems with HHS’s performance in this role.

These problems affected the nation’s response to past emergencies, such as COVID-19. We have identified leading practices HHS agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, could use in their reform efforts. Following such practices will guide HHS through future emergencies and help Congress oversee these reforms.

This issue is on our High Risk List.

What GAO Found

In January 2022, GAO added the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS)...