The state of Washington (WA), through the Department of Health (DOH), State Board of Health, and other state agencies—together with local health jurisdictions and departments, tribal governments, public health partners, and regional health care coalitions—has worked tirelessly to contain the spread of (Covid-19) and care for Washingtonians. Now, Mathematica, Comagine Health, and Allegis are joining DOH and other stakeholders to fully implement the WA Covid-19 Contact Tracing Partnership. This partnership will immediately mobilize and rapidly build the staffing infrastructure and will knit together critical community mobilization, training, and data components. It will also operationalize the rigorous processes necessary to ensure the WA Covid-19 Contact Tracing Partnership is a highly effective, data-driven, and community-based response to Covid-19.
As a human-centered, data-driven team, Mathematica, Comagine Health, and Allegis will rapidly mobilize, recruit, train, and lead a highly qualified cadre of managers, supervisors, case investigators and contact tracers to form a right-sized, effective, efficient, and high quality operation aligned with Washington’s needs. The response will blend exceptional statewide partnerships; strong community relationships; local voices; well-trained contact tracers who convey care and empathy in every call; an expert understanding of contact tracing; and quality data processes that inform surveillance, informatics, and outbreak response.
“Our vision is to serve the state of Washington as a trusted partner and ideal collaborator,” said Candace Miller, project director. “Covid-19 puts us in the fight of our lives. Contact tracing, a key tool in this fight, is painstaking work that requires local knowledge and long-standing relationships with affected communities. This effort will make deep human connections with hard-to-reach populations and those leery of contact tracing. The team will call symptomatic cases who might have trouble breathing and require community-clinical linkages and referrals. It will also call contacts who might be asymptomatic and unsure of whether or not to engage. We understand the challenges that lie ahead and are ready to immediately mobilize and partner with the WA Covid-19 Contact Tracing Partnership.”
Dan Lessler, chief clinical officer at Comagine added, “Comagine Health looks forward to bringing to bear its trusted relationships with communities across Washington State and its clinical expertise in infection control and prevention to support our partners in this extraordinarily important effort to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Dave Majerowicz, our partner at the staffing company Allegis added, “We are excited for this great opportunity to support Mathematica and the State of Washington in such an important mission, all the while putting Washingtonians back to work. This falls right in line with our company’s mission, Our People Are Everything.”
The team approach aims to bolster Washington’s existing efforts; engage, earn, and build on existing trust with local health departments, districts, and community stakeholders; develop rigorous quality and data procedures; and help guide Washington through the pandemic. It is also grounded in a commitment to problem-solving to ensure that Washingtonians answer the call, follow isolation and quarantine guidance, and are linked to social or clinical resources, and that we report the data necessary to make critical public health decisions.
To learn more about Mathematica’s contact-tracing work, contact Sule Gerovich.