For Immediate Release: 6/30/2020 9:45 am
The Worcester Division of Public Health today announces it has received a $295,000 grant through the CDC Foundation to hire staff to provide surge support for the City’s ongoing response to COVID-19.
Through the grant, the CDC Foundation will hire contractors including a nurse, community outreach/education specialist, a contract tracing coordinator, as well as environmental health and administrative support. The positions will bolster the WDPH’s overall COVID-19 response efforts, which include monitoring more than 5,500 positive COVID-19 individuals and their close contacts.
“We are extremely grateful to the CDC Foundation and the donor, the Medtronic Foundation, for selecting the Worcester Division of Public Health for this generous award,” said Karyn Clark, Director of Public Health for Worcester. “These funds will build additional capacity for staff to respond to the COVID-19 recovery efforts and connecting those impacted, especially communities of color, to needed services.”
The WDPH, with 25 employees, provides public health services such as public health nursing to six member towns as part of the Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance, including Grafton, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, Shrewsbury and West Boylston.
“The Division of Public Health has been both meticulous and tireless in its work during the COVID-19 crisis,” Worcester City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said. “Their efforts in tracking COVID-positive individuals and their close contacts are crucial to mitigating the virus’s continued impact on public health and safety. This generous grant from the CDC Foundation is much-needed and greatly appreciated as it will only enhance those efforts.”
