CDC Fact Sheet
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the nation’s premier public health agency— working to ensure healthy people in a healthy world.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities in the United States.
CDC’s focus is not only on scientific excellence but also on the essential spirit that is CDC – to protect the health of all people. CDC keeps humanity at the forefront of its mission to ensure health protection through promotion, prevention, and preparedness.
Composed of the Office of the Director, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Center for Global Health, and five Offices, including Public Health Preparedness and Response; State and Local Support; Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services; Noncommunicable Diseases, Injury and Environmental Health; and Infectious Diseases. CDC employs more than 15,000 employees in more than 50 countries and in 168 occupational categories.
Our public health approach is simple:
First find out what’s making people sick and killing them and then do the things that work to protect them and make them healthier. With this philosophy in mind, we are at the forefront of public health efforts. We work with many partners at the local, state, and national levels to improve the public’s health, with a particular focus in the following areas:
- Increasing support to local and state health departments - We are only as strong as our partnerships. We are passionate about offering the best technical, financial, and direct assistance possible for the good of the whole in public health.
- Improving global health - Provide unwavering leadership in health policy development. We strengthen the ability of governments and organizations across the globe to achieve their health goals and deepen the effectiveness and efficiency of their health systems.
- Decreasing leading causes of death - We are fiercely devoted to improving the social determinants of health — disparities in the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These imbalances are largely responsible for health inequities in everything from obesity to heart disease.
- Strengthening surveillance and epidemiology - Rigorous surveillance and epidemiology are our most powerful tools. They form our ethos and the foundation of our authority.
- Reforming Health Policies - Prevention is on the map as never before; it is key to the future of health in this country and is a part of the legislation currently under debate. We are closely monitoring the legislation and potential impacts on public health entities and are working closely.
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30333 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348 - cdcinfo@cdc.gov