The Fairfax Health District is expanding its pool of contact tracing staff and is actively seeking weekend contact interviewers. As COVID-19 cases increase in the Fairfax Health District, the additional staff will be needed in the efforts to effectively slow the spread of illness and ensure the health and safety of our community.
Contact interviewers serve an important role on the contact tracing team by contacting those individuals who have been identified as a close contact with someone who’s either a confirmed COVID-19 test result or is presumed to have COVID-19. Contact interviewers provide public health guidance, refer people to testing if symptomatic and enroll them into the Health Department’s Monitoring Program. Contact interviewers will report to a designated worksite, Friday – Monday, 9:30 am to 6:00 pm.
“As cases and contact investigations increase, we are looking to add additional staff to our response to quickly reach out to individuals and worksites in order to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Barbara Downes, Communicable Disease and Epidemiology Manager with the Fairfax County Health Department. “Until there is wide release of a vaccine, contact tracing is one of our best tools to help fortify Fairfax County in its fight against the pandemic.”
Earlier this year, Fairfax County Health Department partnered with the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI) to expand its workforce of contact tracers, case investigators and community health workers. These staff are employees of IPHI and assist with the Health Department’s contact tracing operation. IPHI is actively seeking individuals with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds to help share and reinforce important health messages.
Staff hired by IPHI for this work are receiving extensive training in infectious disease investigation to prepare them to do this critical work. All new hires participate in a week-long virtual training with IPHI prior to joining the Health Department for additional in-person training and onboarding.
Staff learn how contact tracing is done, including how to build rapport with cases, identify their contacts, and support both cases and their contacts to stop transmission in their communities. The training covers several important ethical considerations around contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine, in addition to some of the most common barriers to contact tracing efforts and strategies to overcome them.
For more information, please visit the contact investigations page on the Fairfax County Health Department website.
ABOUT IPHI
The Institute for Public Health Innovation is the official public health institute serving the DC-MD-VA region and one of over 40 such institutes across the country. IPHI develops multi-sector partnerships and innovative solutions to improve the public’s health and well-being in the region. IPHI’s work strengthens health systems and policy, enhances conditions that promote health, and builds government and community capacity to ensure equitable health opportunities for all. Information on how to apply can be found on the IPHI website. Please note that this position will be employed by IPHI, a contractor to the county.