U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Staff Contact Information Disappears

The Department of Health and Human Services employee directory, which has been online for many years, has suddenly lost email and telephone listings. Names and professional positions are there, but there is no way to make connections.

I emailed five public affairs officers asking whether it is fair to say that the lack of an HHS directory with contact information is unprecedented, since even before the internet anyone could buy an HHS directory at the Government Printing Office.

I also asked if it is fair to say that no contact information is listed on the HHS website for public affairs contacts, other than the media@hhs.gov.

I wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra saying this elimination of contacts would appear to be another step in the direction of information control that has included banning employees from speaking to reporters without notifying agency authorities and indicating to staff that they have no responsibility to speak the press.

One report said told the employee directory change was done in the name of security.

I told Becerra, “Security is not best served with one of the largest government agencies in the world broadly impacting public health from behind nearly impenetrable walls of restrictions with unreachable, unknowable people.

“I’m asking that all these barriers be removed. Note that many journalism groups have asked the same about the previously instituted restrictions.”

I have not had an answer yet.