Feb 12, 2014, 11:07 AM ETConference Presentation, Panel

The 2014 Atlanta Summit - - Government, Industry and a Healthier Future: A Leadership Forum

The panel convened industry leaders (GE, Beckman Coulter, Celgene), U.S. government officials (Rep. Sanford Bishop, Rep. Mike Kingston), and academic representatives to coordinate public-private partnerships.
The primary objective was to discuss leveraging CDC data and infrastructure to accelerate public health research and manage chronic disease trends.
Participants emphasized reframing public health as a critical component of global economic sustainability and competitiveness.

Beckman Coulter (BD) Learning from SARS/H1N1:
- The SARS outbreak exposed industry unpreparedness in logistics and staffing, prompting a shift to collaborative pandemic planning with the CDC.
- During the H1N1 outbreak, BD's Mexican operations remained functional and supplied necessary products, a success attributed to pre-established CDC coordination.
- BD implemented biweekly planning and update sessions with the CDC to share best practices among companies.
Surveillance Funding & Subscription Models:
- Influenza monitoring networks, particularly in Kenya, faced severe budget cuts from the CDC, threatening the detection of mutated strains.
- The industry is transitioning to a subscription model where pharmaceutical and diagnostic manufacturers fund the gap left by reduced government support.
Diagnostic Innovation:
- BD and the CDC are deploying a rapid, point-of-care flu test (detecting Flu A and B) in rural Kenyan clinics to improve real-time disease detection and response.

Fiscal Context: Representative Kingston noted that 42 cents of every dollar spent by the U.S. government is borrowed, creating intense scrutiny on all federal spending.
Core Mission Focus:
- Lawmakers urge the CDC to strictly maintain its core mission of scientific research rather than diverting resources to general community health education (e.g., sugar beverage counseling) to avoid political criticism.
- CDC spending is a small portion of the federal budget, making it vulnerable to cuts despite its high return on investment.
Advocacy & Success Stories:
- Kingston cited the polio eradication effort (down from 350,000 annual cases globally to 22 cases in India in one year) as a compelling narrative for Congress.
- Civil society advocacy, led by figures like Bernie Marcus and Phil Jacobs, successfully funded CDC infrastructure upgrades from Quonset huts to modern facilities.
Rural Health & Telemedicine:
- Representative Bishop highlighted the $7.2 billion stimulus investment in broadband to expand telemedicine in rural Georgia, aiming to connect rural clinics to urban centers (e.g., Emory) for time-sensitive care like stroke treatment (3-hour window).
- Private sector workforce engagement is proposed as a mechanism to energize the public and drive legislative action on chronic disease.

GE "Healthy Imagination" Initiative:
- GE reduced employee health costs in Cincinnati by approximately $3 billion over three years through a three-pillar strategy: increasing quality, access, and affordability.
- Results included improved asthma care for children and a decrease in adverse diabetes reactions, validated by an independent RAND study.
- GE is expanding "Healthy Cities" collaborations to include payers, providers, and other employers to localize healthcare implementation.
Future Economic Threats:
- Bob Hugin (Celgene) warned that neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's) pose a looming economic crisis, projecting over $800 billion annually in maintenance costs by 2040.
- Current chronic disease burdens (obesity, diabetes) drive significant costs through absenteeism, presenteeism, and out-of-pocket expenses, estimated at $1 trillion annually.
Data Monetization for Policy:
- Sue Siegel (GE) and others argued that health outcomes must be "monetized" with clear metrics to influence Congress and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
- Vaccination programs currently show a return of $3 in healthcare savings and $10 in societal benefits for every $1 spent; similar data rigor is needed for prevention programs.

Data Utilization: Mobile health data usage doubled from 17% (2010) to 31% (2012), with projections of 142 million healthcare app downloads by 2016.
Vaccine & Immunotherapy Pipeline:
- Over 300 new vaccines are currently in clinical trials, with 200+ in the U.S., driven by strategic CDC leadership.
- Vaccine research is foundational for the emerging field of immunotherapy, critical for treating cancers and inflammatory diseases.
Microbiome & Non-Infectious Disease:
- The CDC faces a gap in surveillance for non-infectious, immune-mediated conditions (e.g., Type 1 diabetes, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease) which are spreading globally.
- Lack of standardized laboratory metrics for inflammatory markers (cytokines, cell counts) hinders integrated research; the CDC is working to standardize these tests.
Diagnostic Industry Partnership:
- A strategic partnership between the CDC and diagnostic manufacturers is nascent but growing through joint briefings and trade association meetings to align rapid technological evolution with federal planning.

Reframing the Narrative: The CDC must pivot its public image from "contagion and disease" to "gateway to health" and a hub for data-driven technology.
Policy Pressure: Panelists urged attendees to pressure the CBO to accept prevention data as valid cost-saving evidence to justify federal funding.
Educational Campaigns: Industry leaders committed to disseminating information to employees and communities to foster demand for healthy lifestyles and CDC-supported initiatives.
Call to Action: Attendees were encouraged to support the CDC Foundation, engage with industry associations to highlight intersection points, and advocate directly with Congress on sustainability and public health issues.