Local Health Departments’ Responses to COVID-19

• In Event: Government Agencies and the COVID Pandemic

Abstract

Generally speaking, the public has little knowledge about what local public health departments (LHDs) do. Yet, throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, LHDs have been instrumental in mitigating and curtailing the spread of the disease. LHDs are responsible for a multitude of epidemiological functions, like tracing virus-exposed contacts, while also serving as public-facing organizations tasked with efficiently disseminating public information. While these LHDs are important front-line actors, little research explores public health workers’ perceptions of their positions or the perceptions of the public. Addressing this gap is important because of the essential role of LHDs in protecting the health of the public, particularly during widespread public health emergencies. This project attempts to ascertain how local public health workers on the front-lines of the coronavirus pandemic view their role in their communities in light of the current pandemic response by analyzing anonymous survey data. Additionally, it seeks to analyze the incident command structures that were put into place by LHDs across multiple states with differing organizational structures to respond to rapid crisis development, examining what worked and what didn’t work. Lastly, the project will attempt to understand what hindered or helped the coronavirus response among LHDs.

Authors

• Earlene Camarillo, Western Oregon University

• Christina Barsky, The University of Montana