Special Report: U.S. health agencies, wracked by chaos, are coming unglued

Special Report

Inside U.S. health agencies, workers confront chaos and questions as operations become unglued

By STAT Staff

Alex Hogan/STAT

Beyond the thousands of workers laid off and programs shuttered, the Trump administration's remaking of the Department of Health and Human Services — in a matter of weeks — is now sparking basic questions about how parts of the agency and those it oversees can continue to function.

In more than two dozen interviews with employees across HHS and its subagencies, staff described grappling with challenges that they say are more dire than a mere downsizing of the workforce might suggest. Many said they were unsure how long before the fraying of certain initiatives could turn fatal, risking programs that operate largely unseen by the public but that they insist protect lives.

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