An "Ebola Czar" with no healthcare credentials or experience? WTH? Why?
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Buttonstc (
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October 17th, 2014
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I’m not even in the healthcare field, and I can come up with several much better choices right off the top of my head which would make a whole lot more sense.
Why not Dr. Peter Pronovost? His simple five point checklist to prevent infections acquired from central line procedures has already saved thousands of lives.
Obviously he knows a thing or two about preventing the spread of infection and has a genuine passion for this seldom-lauded and less glamorous aspect of medicine.
Or how about Dr. Richard Besser, a former CDC director who has been an eminent voice of reason regarding Ebola.
Since there is currently no Surgeon General due to politics, why not take this opportunity to appoint the next best thing and make a qualified medical professional the “Ebola Czar” so he can hit the ground running and get a handle on this thing.
Granted, the whole “Czar” appellation sounds a bit pompously ridiculous, but who cares what he’s called as long as he knows what he’s doing?
What exactly does Klain bring to the table?
Am I the only one dreading another case of “Heck of a job, Brownie” after Klain substantially flubs it?
Wth is Obama thinking?
Good grief !
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11 Answers
For anyone interested, there is an impressive article on Pronovost and his views on infection control written by Laura Landro of the Wall St. Journal.
Just putting his name and WSJ into search should bring it up.
(So glad I’ve been out of the States for five days!)
Thank you for asking this. I wasn’t aware that this was taking place.
Why the title of ‘czar’? In the US (and UK), a political title of czar has been used, albeit infrequently, for decades. It is a position that a US president can create with or without Senate approval. The purpose of a political czar is to focus on a particular crisis in a management role, whether they have expertise on the specific topic or not.
Why does the US need an Ebola czar? An Ebola panic started as soon as the first case was identified on US soil. Since there currently isn’t a Surgeon General, the US govt. needs someone in an ad hoc role to specifically focus efforts on managing the crisis.
The US has the experts already in the CDC, Homeland Security and National Security, but these people have other responsibilities as well. An Ebola czar will coordinate their efforts as a liaison and project manager. It needs to be someone well connected and respected by the government in order to get the approval of the project and act swiftly.
Why Ron Klain? While lacking in medical expertise, he brings several valuable qualities to the table. He is regarded as a good manager. He has excellent relationships in the US Admin. and on Capitol Hill. He has experience in dealing with both domestic and foreign policy cases.
Extra stuff It appears that the position’s official title will be “Ebola response coordinator”. The position will report to the homeland security adviser and national security adviser.
Being in the healthcare field, let alone not being in it, really has little to do with making a fair and educated judgement about Pronovost’s qualifications (pro or con). Perhaps, rather than rely on TV and the Internet for your information, you should sit down with him and with the people involved in making the decision to select him to obtain information on which to base your opinions. “Czar,” by the way, which in my opinion has a negative connotation, is a media term. That’s not what he’s called within the government.
This President has more “Czars” than Russia.
It is just more of delegating out his problems to political cronies.
Pure and simple, the position is one of management coordination, not medical expertise. You’re thinking of the position of Surgeon General, which has been left unfilled by a Republican filibuster.
The Ebola situation has devolved to the point that defeating the virus is now a matter of logistics. The massive effort now required to contain the disease dictates a need for an expert on organization, someone capable of assembling the specialists in all fields and delegating responsibility. And by specialists, I don’t simply mean medical experts, but those with talents in transportation, supply, construction, security, scheduling, and all the impedimenta that accompanies full scale mobilization.
@BeenThereSaidThat President Obama has more czars than Russia? I didn’t know that. Who are the others? As for the delegation bit, isn’t that what great leaders do? Pick the right people that are able to get the job done? What should the president be personally doing to address the Ebola crisis?
Also, thank you for the article regarding President Obama’s choice for a new Surgeon General. I found it quite fascinating, especially after reading the posts in the comments section.
@Pied_Pfeffer He does, but only because ‘Czar’ is a made up media term that has nothing to do with the original version (and for context, Bush also had way more than Russia, similar to Obama, and no one cared). It’s a program coordinator. Who decided to call the position a ‘Czar’ I have no idea, but the type of position has existed for decades (the first use I know of goes back to FDR).
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