CDC Breaks Ground on New Headquarters Building

WASHINGTON, D.C. and ATLANTA -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) broke ground today on a new headquarters building that will provide additional capacity for the agency to continue to effectively coordinate the nation's response to terrorism, disease outbreaks, and other important public health issues well into the 21st century.

"A world class institution with first rate employees deserves the best when it comes to having the necessary facilities to conduct its business," said CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding. "This new state-of-the-art administrative building is the keystone of our master plan to upgrade facilities so we can effectively serve our nation's public health. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and I are indebted to the Administration and Congress for their continued support of CDC's mission."

The new 335,000-plus-square-foot facility is expected to be completed mid-2005 and will house more than 1,000 employees including:

· CDC's terrorism and emergency response offices

· CDC Director's office

· CDC Director's Operations Center

· A state-of the-art computer data facility

Source: CDC