CDC Guidance for Collaboration with the
Private Sector
Accepting Funds From the Tobacco Industry:
Guidance for Collaboration with the Private Sector
Background on Accepting Funds From the Tobacco Industry
At times, the tobacco industry has approached state and local agencies
with proposals to financially support the implementation of youth tobacco
prevention programs. Decisions about whether to accept money directly from
the tobacco industry to implement youth tobacco prevention programs have
sparked controversy and divisiveness among those committed to preventing
tobacco use. Several constituents have contacted CDC to request its opinions
as they consider these proposals.
Decisions about collaborative relationships with private sector partners
must be made at the level of the proposed relationship, i.e., either at
the national, state, or local level. CDC encourages national, state, and local
agencies to consider developing a set of guiding principles for forming
collaborative arrangements with outside entities. Agencies should work together
and use existing partnerships with national, state, and local education
and health agencies, community-based organizations, universities, and others
to fully consider and discuss the positive and negative outcomes that may
occur as a result of any proposed partnership.
Criteria for Accepting Funds From the Tobacco Industry
CDC has developed its own criteria for collaborating with the private
sector that might be of assistance to national, state, and local agencies.
These criteria were developed to provide guidance to CDC’s centers, institute,
and offices in assessing the appropriateness of entering into a partnership
with an outside agency, organization, or industry. These criteria include:
- Be clear how the potential collaboration fits within its overall mission
and priorities and the private partner’s mission and priorities. For example—
- Why does the organization want to work with the agency?
- How does the project relate to the organization’s mission and goals?
- Will the potential collaboration have a reasonably large impact
relative to the resource required?
- Will the project be designed so that it is scientifically defensible?
- Assess the effect of the private partner’s products or services on health
and whether they are compatible with your mission.
- Assess the behavior of the private partner in conducting business
and determine whether the partner’s behavior is consistent with your mission
and the principles guiding private sector collaboration.
- Questions regarding a variety of aspects about the organization’s behavior
should be asked. For example—
- What is the history of the organization’s previous collaborations
with you or another public health agency?
- Do the organization and you adhere to similar scientific, ethical,
and legal principles and practices?
- Will the organization comply with your policy and regulations?
- What are the organization’s practices in promoting its products
or services and its interests?
- Could you stand behind the organization’s practices?
- Does the organization’s motivation for pursuing the collaboration
fit with your mission and priorities?
- How has the organization behaved in the past when its product or
service was found to be harmful?
- Assess not only the specific area of mutual interest but the public
impact of the partner’s broad public mission and image. For highly controversial
issues, multiple collaborators should be sought that represent a broad spectrum of
opinions and interests. For example—
- The overall perception of the partner will inevitably color
the public’s view of the appropriateness of the collaboration.
- Avoid participating in indirect collaborations unless it would participate
in a direct relationship with the partners. For example—
- Indirect relationships should not be established solely
to distance you from a specific partner, thereby avoiding an external
perception of an inappropriate collaboration. An indirect relationship
often provides relatively little protection from the perception that
the agency is inappropriately working with a private organization. This
is especially true when a third party is the intermediary between the
agency and a single organization.
- Be willing to make public the existence of a collaboration.
Ensure that any stand taken on issues of public health importance is
supported by the interests of the partner, the public, and the agency. This
responsibility must be borne out in fact and in appearance because
of the importance of the public's trust in the agency.
- No appearance or fact of personal gain should result from the collaboration.
This responsibility becomes critical when collaborations are with
a single organization or concern controversial subjects.
- Assess how the agency's name and participation in a collaborative project will
be used and whether such usage is consistent with the agency's public role.
- Assess whether the partner will attempt to use its name to endorse a
product.
- A formal review and advisory process should be established for examining
potential collaborations according to the principles, criteria, and recommendations
described in this document.
CDC's Guidance for Collaboration with the Private Sector identifies principles that underlie
the public health mission and sets forth guidance for evaluating potential
collaborations. Electronic copies of the document are available at
CDC's Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) Requester Service Center
(http://www.cdc.gov/od/foia/policies/collabor.htm).
Page last updated 02/28/2007
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