CCBC To Launch Coronavirus Contract Tracing Program

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Baltimore County will begin ramping up its contact tracing program, officials announced Tuesday, in partnership with the Community College of Baltimore County.

Currently 52 staff members are working on contact tracing, most shifted from other positions within the Baltimore County Health Department or Baltimore County Public School Health Services, according to a statement from the county government.

Contact tracing involves interviewing people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus to determine who may have been exposed to the illness. Through contact tracing, experts can identify who needs to be tested for the virus due to potential exposure and who needs to be isolated to prevent the disease from spreading.

By July, officials say Baltimore County is aiming to hire 60 additional contact trace investigators for temporary positions.

"At lightning speed," the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is rolling out an online course to train future contact tracing specialists, CCBC President Sandra Kurtinitis said Tuesday.

The program, which could be completed in as few as three hours, will be free and is designed to ready the next generation of contact tracing experts in Baltimore County.

"At CCBC, we take pride in our ability to develop short-term training that can quickly prepare people for in-demand jobs," Kurtinitis said in a statement in which Baltimore County announced a partnership with the community college in initiating the program. Applicants for the contact tracing job will need an associate degree, customer service experience, strong communication skills and community resource knowledge, according to the county, which reports a number of the jobs will be open to those who speak both English and Spanish.

Gov. Larry Hogan has said contract tracing, coronavirus testing, hospital surge capacity and personal protective equipment supplies are the building blocks of public health infrastructure that must be in place for the state of Maryland to consider reopening.

"We are happy to participate in this partnership which will help secure the health and safety of our community as well as generate a pool of specially-trained candidates for new employment opportunities," Kurtinitis said.

Once they are trained for the coronavirus pandemic, these professionals "will be able to respond quickly" to any virulent strain that may follow, Kurtinitis said.

CCBC's online course will include three training modules, and participants can work at their own pace.

The contact trace investigator course will be open to the public May 4 through the end of June. To register, visit CCBC QuickReg and select CRN 79502. For more information or help registering, call CCBC at 443-840-4700 or email ceed@ccbcmd.edu.

See Also:

• MD Reopening Could Start In Early May, Hogan Says: Coronavirus
• Coronavirus Data For MD Nursing Homes To Be Released: Governor