Dear Friends of OPHI,
The pandemic is evolving, but it’s not over. Vaccines are bringing relief and hope to those who receive them, but COVID-19, its inequitable impact, and disparities in vaccine access persist both globally and here in Oregon. OPHI continues saving lives through contact tracing and connection vulnerable communities with vaccine, and we’re building the public health workforce while we do it. This week, I want to introduce you to just a couple of the 150+ OPHI team members working on “Tracing Health,” the COVID-19 response program that we co-founded with our partners at the Public Health Institute just over a year ago.
Hameda Dil Mohamed joined the Tracing Health team in Clark County, Washington with a decade of experience helping her community. Prior to joining Tracing Health, Hameda was a multilingual case manager (speaking Malay, English, Rohingya, Burmese and Hindi), assisting refugees in adjusting to life in the US. As a refugee herself, Hameda knows how meaningful it is to have support during a crisis. “I think a big part of being a contact tracer is helping people understand how they are going to get through a really tough situation. I help them stay calm and find the path forward, so they can keep themselves and their families safe,” she says. Hameda has recently been promoted and now serves on the Tracing Health workforce development team. Her new role? Helping ensure this remarkable, diverse team will remain in the public health workforce after the pandemic.]]
Omar Vargas was watching the COVID-19 pandemic unfold globally when he decided to be part of the local solution. He soon became Tracing Health’s first contact tracer supervisor. “I was scared by what was happening in Ecuador, my country,” Omar says. “And I thought, even if I couldn’t help Ecuador, I could help people here.” He knew the pandemic would hit communities of color especially hard—including the Latino community in Washington County, Oregon, where he lives. For the last year, Omar and his team have helped save lives in Washington County through contact tracing and the county’s vaccine access hotline. As a team of Washington County residents from diverse backgrounds, their success is rooted in their connections to the community, their ability to build trust, and their empathy. Omar says, “When I call someone and hear that their spouse, or parent, or child has recovered from COVID-19 or come home from the hospital, I share in their joy. It gives me hope.”
Hameda, Omar, and the 150 Tracing Health staff in Oregon and Washington will continue to be here for our communities as the pandemic evolves. Speaking of evolving: do you have ideas about how this group of diverse public health professionals can support equitable recovery and resilience? I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line!
As always, thank you for your support.