Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a dramatic restructuring that will eliminate about 10,000 full-time employees. When combined with other workforce reductions, such as early retirement, the restructuring will result in a total downsizing of 62,000 full-time employees from 82,000.

The HHA also announced it will streamline the functions of the department, consolidating its 28 divisions into 15 new divisions, including a new Administration for Healthy America (AHA). The AHA will combine multiple agencies — the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) — into a new, unified entity.

The consolidation will centralize functions such as human resources, information technology, external affairs, and policy. In addition, HHS will reduce its regional offices from 10 to five.

Other changes that will be put into place through the restructuring include:

• Transferring the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), responsible for national disaster and public health emergency response, to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• Creating a new position, assistant secretary for enforcement, to oversee the Departmental Appeals Board (DAB), Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA), and Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
• Merging the assistant secretary for planning and evaluation (ASPE) with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to create the Office of Strategy, to enhance research that informs the Secretary’s policies and improves the effectiveness of federal health programs.
• Reorganizing the Administration for Community Living (ACL), which supports older adults and people with disabilities, so its programs are integrated into other HHS agencies, including the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), ASPE, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “This Department will do more—a lot more—at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”

Following the announcement of these HHS cuts, public health experts said that maintaining services would be a challenge due to the  existing public health workload, steep reductions in funding to state and local health departments, and possible cuts to Medicaid, CNN reported.

Most (95%) safety professionals completely or somewhat have the time and resources needed to assess personal protective equipment (PPE) needs properly, found the 2025 PPE Pain Points Study from J. J. Keller & Associate Inc., a leading provider of safety and compliance solutions, and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA). Additionally, 70% of those surveyed talk with their employees regularly about PPE.

The survey was fielded in October 2024, and the respondents had responsibility for purchasing and/or managing PPE across a range of industries. Study findings include:

• More than 75% of respondents reported that at least some of the time, they have difficulty getting employees to wear PPE.
• More than one-third of respondents prioritize durability, followed by comfort, emphasizing the need for PPE that workers can and will consistently wear.
• While 75% of respondents have not experienced problems buying PPE in the sizes they need, those who have had issues find difficulty locating larger and smaller sizes.
• While 84% of respondents factor weather conditions into PPE purchases, a growing need for more education on selecting PPE optimized for extreme temperatures exists.
• More companies are prioritizing PPE designed for women, though nearly one-third of respondents still face challenges in finding properly fitting options.
• Nearly half of respondents struggle with training employees on critical PPE usage aspects, including when PPE is necessary, how to properly wear it, and its limitations.

“Safety professionals are committed to protecting workers, but this research shows that persistent challenges remain—especially in compliance and training,” said Cam Mackey, ISEA president and CEO. “By leveraging these insights, safety managers, manufacturers, and industry leaders can take meaningful steps to improve PPE programs, ensuring workers have access to properly fitting, high-quality PPE and are consistently trained to use it correctly.”

J. J. Keller and ISEA experts will host a free webcast, 2025 PPE Pain Points Study: Key Insights, challenges, and solutions, examining the greatest paint points and practical ways to address them, on April 17 at 10 a.m. CT. The public may register here.