‘Empathy Can Go a Long Way’.
Last year, School of Public Health alum Katherine Churchwell (SPH’18) made the cross-country move from Boston to Los Angeles to join the LA County Department of Public Health as a senior health educator for a pilot program through the county’s new Wellbeing Centers.
Sanctioned by public health director and fellow SPH alum Barbara Ferrer, the Wellbeing Centers provide education and resources to LA County high school students about substance use prevention, mental health services, and sexual health.
But just as Churchwell was settling into a supervisory role within the program, the COVID-19 pandemic reached to the United States and quickly surged in California, leading the governor to issue the first statewide stay-at-home order in the nation.
Churchwell’s role quickly shifted to support the county’s COVID-19 response, and she joined a Case Interviewing team in March, managing other health educators as they reached out to residents who tested positive for the coronavirus to gauge information about their symptoms and identify other high-risk populations.
In May, after a brief decline in COVID-19 cases gave way to a second surge, Churchwell was asked to co-supervise a contact tracing team, which has grown to more than 80 staff members with a range of professional backgrounds.
“A year ago, I never imagined that I would be doing this type of work, but it has been really interesting,” says Churchwell. Navigating a large team has strengthened her leadership skills, and her MPH education—with a focus on health policy and law, and social justice and human rights—has provided a solid understanding of the racial disparities in health that the pandemic has magnified.
“I’ve learned that I’m a good leader, and that sometimes you have to challenge authority in a constructive way to advocate for people,” she says.
Tracing and notifying people who have been potentially exposed to the virus can be emotionally taxing at times, says Churchwell. One team member’s first call on the job was to a woman whose husband had died only hours before. But the work is also fulfilling, and it extends beyond implementing disease control measures, she says.
“People really do appreciate us hearing what they’re going through and just being a listening ear,” says Churchwell. “Empathy can go a long way.”
Being able to communicate clearly and establish a sense of comfort and trust with people are also essential skills for effective tracing, says Churchwell. People are often hesitant to reveal personal information about themselves or their actions, especially over the phone, she says—so it is important for contact tracers to be able to navigate a range of personalities in order to obtain critical information and provide appropriate guidance to people who have been potentially exposed to the virus.
Churchwell was scheduled to return to her position with the Wellbeing Centers at the beginning of August, but she will remain on the contact tracing team for the near future, as COVID-19 cases continue to spike in California. The state recently surpassed 600,000 cases—the highest in the country—making the work of contact tracing more important than ever.
Despite the uncertain and distressing times, Churchwell says she has noticed positive changes in people’s attitudes and actions.
“There has been a shift in how people treat each other,” says Churchwell, adding that she receives a lot of support from her friends and family members. “Everyone is nicer to each other, and makes sure to check in on one another.”
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