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Holding Government Accountable
This week I sent a letter to Secretary Vilsack asking for an update on the implementation of recommendations outlined in an independent assessment of the management culture of the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Center for Veterinary Biologics in Ames.
Over the last couple years, I’ve heard complaints from employees of these labs and from companies that these labs regulate, concerning procedure and management issues.
Issues of particular concern that were raised in a recent employee survey included a lack of leadership, a disrespectful and unprofessional behavior, a lack of accountability and favoritism, and ineffective communication and decision making. Surprisingly these issues were cited by two to three times the number of employees who were concerned with high workloads, suggesting that problems are much deeper and greater than simply inadequate resources and funding for the labs. The results clearly indicate a need for greater transparency and accountability within the agency.
The complaints I had been hearing on top of the employment survey, brought strong credence to an independent review that was released nearly one year ago (May 19, 2009). The review contained five recommendations for improvement at the laboratories, including addressing the culture at the labs, rebuilding trust and accountability throughout the organization, creating a management development strategy, assessing organizational barriers, and connecting employees with the organization’s sense of pride and work ethic.
These two labs’ efforts are essential to the promotion of animal health and ensuring that animal diseases are diagnosed and eradicated. The people working at these labs ensure that vaccines are safe, effective and readily available to livestock producers, veterinarians, and pet owners. It’s important that we get to the bottom of the issues that have been raised. These labs set the gold standard for animal health. Farmers, the animal health industry, and our trading partners depend on it.
Click here to see a copy of my letter to Secretary Vilsack. Click here to see a copy of the independent survey done at the request of USDA.
This week I sent a letter to Secretary Vilsack asking for an update on the implementation of recommendations outlined in an independent assessment of the management culture of the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Center for Veterinary Biologics in Ames.
Over the last couple years, I’ve heard complaints from employees of these labs and from companies that these labs regulate, concerning procedure and management issues.
Issues of particular concern that were raised in a recent employee survey included a lack of leadership, a disrespectful and unprofessional behavior, a lack of accountability and favoritism, and ineffective communication and decision making. Surprisingly these issues were cited by two to three times the number of employees who were concerned with high workloads, suggesting that problems are much deeper and greater than simply inadequate resources and funding for the labs. The results clearly indicate a need for greater transparency and accountability within the agency.
The complaints I had been hearing on top of the employment survey, brought strong credence to an independent review that was released nearly one year ago (May 19, 2009). The review contained five recommendations for improvement at the laboratories, including addressing the culture at the labs, rebuilding trust and accountability throughout the organization, creating a management development strategy, assessing organizational barriers, and connecting employees with the organization’s sense of pride and work ethic.
These two labs’ efforts are essential to the promotion of animal health and ensuring that animal diseases are diagnosed and eradicated. The people working at these labs ensure that vaccines are safe, effective and readily available to livestock producers, veterinarians, and pet owners. It’s important that we get to the bottom of the issues that have been raised. These labs set the gold standard for animal health. Farmers, the animal health industry, and our trading partners depend on it.
Click here to see a copy of my letter to Secretary Vilsack. Click here to see a copy of the independent survey done at the request of USDA.