ABC 11 by Michael Perchick
Scientific and medical labs are known for their precision and cleanliness, with every inch and measurement vital in examinations.
But inside still-under-construction labs at the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, multiple spaces are unusable.
"When you take 10,000 square feet of testing space and shrink it down into 1,000 or 2,000 (square feet), that is not only taxing on the process, but the team who's doing the work as well," said Dr. Scott Shone, the lab's director.
Officials showcased the spaces during a behind-the-scenes tour on Wednesday. Shone stood in front of a plastic zip-up cover where a wall and door should be. In front of him, plastic wrapping covered tables. Underneath him, the floor was coated with cardboard boxes. Above him, ceiling tiles were missing.
"This is an area where we would do testing for HIV, for hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia. This is having a direct impact on our ability to protect and serve the citizens of North Carolina," said Shone.
The scene is a result of $230 million in federal funding cuts that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is now facing, halting work on renovation and expansion plans at the facility.
Meetings about renovations first started in November 2020, with Phase 1 of renovations starting in 2021. While some areas have since been completed, the final phases are now paused.
"It's not clear how sustainable that is for the lab or for public health in general," Shone explained.
Shone said researchers operating out of smaller spaces create practical challenges, which could be further exacerbated if the state sees a period of high volume, such as COVID.
"This is dangerous to the future of our ability to respond. At any moment, we could not have the staff we need. We could not have the space we need. We're one substantial outbreak or surge situation away from not being able to sustain our mission," said Shone.
The State Lab performs other work, such as tracking foodborne illnesses, evaluating children for lead exposure, completing newborn screening for all babies in the state, rabies testing, and environmental testing of well water.
Shone explained that other state labs are facing similar funding crunches, as they operate in a period of uncertainty.
"We've seen impacts at the CDC and the cuts of some of their labs, including laboratories that test for drug-resistant gonorrhea, chlamydia, and other STIs. That does shift the burden to the states. And where we have to look at testing that was previously done in Atlanta, is that something that we now need to pick up here in Raleigh," Shone noted.
Due to the construction pauses, Shone said positions of four staffers - one permanent and three temporary - were eliminated, though the full-time staffer was able to find another job within NCDHHS.
Separately, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order last week of a move by the Department of Energy to cap Facilities and Administration rates at 15%.
Broadly, a school spokesperson added that the Federal Register website was not available for grant applicants to schedule a study section, a required step, for a period earlier this year.
"As a result, some new UNC-Chapel Hill research applications that require a study section have not been processed. The University has seen a decrease in new research funding as a result, although the full amount is yet to be determined," noted the spokesperson.
At UNC-Chapel Hill, only work involving research projects is impacted. Doctors' clinical work not associated with a clinical trial is not affected and they continue to see patients as normal.
In a statement, Congresswoman Deborah Ross, whose district includes the State Health Lab, wrote:
"The North Carolina Public Health Lab provides essential health services for North Carolinians - from testing for infectious diseases in pregnant women and children to monitoring foodborne illnesses like E. coli and Salmonella. Federal dollars were helping the state make necessary improvements and upgrades to this facility. All of this progress is in jeopardy because Republicans in Washington care more about politics than public health. The Trump administration's reckless freezing of federal funds will cost lives in North Carolina."
The freezing of and cuts to federal funding have also impacted research operations at local universities, including Duke and UNC.
In a statement, a spokesperson for UNC Chapel Hill told ABC11 that, "73 UNC-Chapel Hill projects have been terminated, meaning they received notice from the federal agency that their funding has been terminated. Thus far, none of those projects included interventional drug or device trials. Some projects were first in stop work status and then terminated, while others received a termination letter without previously having had a stop work order."
A federal judge issued a nationwide permanent injunction earlier this month surrounding a lower cap on National Institutes of Health (NIH) indirect cost reimbursement, which attempted to lower UNC's rate from 55% to 15%.
Separately, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order last week of a move by the Department of Energy to cap Facilities and Administration rates at 15%.
Broadly, a school spokesperson added that the Federal Register website was not available for grant applicants to schedule a study section, a required step, for a period earlier this year.
"As a result, some new UNC-Chapel Hill research applications that require a study section have not been processed. The University has seen a decrease in new research funding as a result, although the full amount is yet to be determined," noted the spokesperson.
At UNC-Chapel Hill, only work involving research projects is impacted. Doctors' clinical work not associated with a clinical trial is not affected and they continue to see patients as normal.
Link to full article: https://abc11.com/post/federal-funding-cuts-halt-construction-labs-north-carolina-state-laboratory-public-health-dangerous/16232719/