WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) wrote a letter urging U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price to ensure work on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) center in Cincinnati moves forward without delay. The letter highlighted a $110 million investment from HHS announced in 2015 to advance construction and site consolidation at the facility.

“We continue to hear from stakeholders throughout the Cincinnati community who remain engaged in this process,” wrote the senators. “Local elected officials are supportive of the project, which will ensure NIOSH remains an integral part of the city’s growing health care sector. The local workforce is also enthusiastic about the additional jobs this investment will bring to the community. As the procurement strategy for this new facility continues, we urge your team to remain in close contact not just with our offices, but also with local stakeholders, including leadership from the city, NIOSH workforce, and the local building trades. Attached, please find letters of support for this project from key stakeholder groups.”

The letter outlined how an updated facility would streamline scientific research that advances NIOSH’s public health mission and would create additional jobs in the community.

The American Federation of Government Employees Local 3840, City of Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, the Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Economic Development Initiative, Sheet Metal Workers Local 24, the University of Cincinnati, and the Uptown Cincinnati Consortium all included letters of support for the project.

A copy of the letter is included below.

Dear Secretary Price:

We write to provide you with an update on a Department of Health and Human Services (the Department) project currently underway in Cincinnati, Ohio, and to encourage you to actively engage relevant stakeholders in the Cincinnati community as you continue to oversee and prioritize this project.

In February 2015, the Department announced that it would be investing $110 million from its Non-Recurring Expenses Fund (NEF) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) center in Cincinnati, Ohio for site selection, acquisition, and construction of a new research facility. We strongly support HHS’s decision to dedicate funds toward the construction of a new NIOSH facility in Cincinnati and we look forward to working with you to ensure this project moves forward without delay.

Currently, the NIOSH research and support activities in Cincinnati are located on two separate campuses, approximately eight miles apart. Both campuses are comprised of aging 1950’s-era facilities that are in varying states of disrepair, and are increasingly deficient in both space configuration and building systems. Because of this, scientific collaboration is limited and NIOSH’s cutting-edge scientific research is inhibited. The Department’s 2015 announcement recognizes the necessity of new buildings for NIOSH to undertake the cutting-edge scientific research that forms the core of its public-health mission.

Progress on this project remains on schedule. Last year, the General Services Administration (GSA) – in partnership with the Department – completed a Request for Expressions of Interest (REI) for the Cincinnati project. GSA has reviewed REI submissions for the project and is now undergoing site analysis. Once this phase is complete, GSA will purchase the site and transfer the title to the CDC for site design and construction. We are pleased by this progress and anticipate the new NIOSH facility in Cincinnati will be operational by May 2019.

We continue to hear from stakeholders throughout the Cincinnati community who remain engaged in this process. Local elected officials are supportive of the project, which will ensure NIOSH remains an integral part of the city’s growing health care sector. The local workforce is also enthusiastic about the additional jobs this investment will bring to the community. As the procurement strategy for this new facility continues, we urge your team to remain in close contact not just with our offices, but also with local stakeholders, including leadership from the city, NIOSH workforce, and the local building trades. Attached, please find letters of support for this project from key stakeholder groups.

We have enjoyed your predecessors’ enthusiasm and support for this project, and look forward to successful, on-time completion of this project under your leadership. Thank you, in advance, for your continued support for this important priority.

Sincerely,

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