COVID-19 Response Teams

Planning team:

• Planning for all public health emergency functions
  • Planning the testing center and ensuring surge capacity 
  • The Long-Term Care Team is communicating directly with all county facilities to give support and guidance when needed, ensuring they are following CDC guidelines and state and local guidance

Operations:

• Assisting with county outbreak responses, working with county first/front line responders to have access to testing, and working to support a state testing center.
  • The Infectious Disease Team is helping with testing/test results/follow up
  • The Contact Tracing Team is following up with all positive cases and those who were in contact with COVID-19 positive patients
  • The Epidemiology Team is tracking county case data

Logistics:

• Managing all national stockpile and state resources
• Securing, managing, and distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout the county
  
• Working with Maryland National Guard and Maryland Department of Health for strike team responses

Call Center:

• Answering questions from the community and referring for testing
  • The Call Center is open 5 days a week, Monday – Friday, from 8 AM – 5 PM: 410-876-4848

Public Information:

• Educating the public, fielding press requests, creating social media and press releases, updating the website, Spanish messaging, and encouraging participation in contact tracing.
• Assisting community partners in developing consistent messaging and interpreting state and federal guidance.

Volunteer Management:

• Working with MD Responds volunteers to assist with all county activities
• Coordinating donations

Administration and IT:

• Facilitating transition of a major part of the CCHD workforce to teleworking
• Coordinating with state and federal systems for data sharing and remote access

Behavioral Health:

• Providing access to mental health and substance use resources, assisting with outreach mental health messaging, and providing emergency services to all community partners
• Continuing to support those most at risk in the community through outreach programs

*Other programs are continuing to maintain critical health department functions.