Durbin Meets With CDC Director Walensky
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky to discuss the work being done at CDC to address the youth vaping epidemic, as well as efforts to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma at the root of community violence.
Durbin and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act, a bipartisan bill to increase support for children who have been exposed to ACEs and trauma, such as witnessing violence, parental addiction, or abuse. In 2018, the Senators created a new CDC grant program for states to collect and act upon ACEs data. During the meeting, Durbin received an update on how CDC is utilizing these funds.
“As the youth vaping epidemic continues to seriously harm our kids, I’m glad CDC and Dr. Walensky understand the public health harm caused by e-cigarettes. CDC is a vital partner in our efforts to bring awareness to this crisis, and I look forward to our continued work to protect our kids from these dangerous products,” said Durbin. “During our meeting, we also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, and the work CDC is doing to prevent future outbreaks.”
Photos of the meeting are available here.
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