Bucks Co. To Hire More Coronavirus Contact Tracers

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Bucks County is moving forward with a $885,000 contract with the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations to hire temporary staff to assist in COVID-19 contact tracing.

The county commissioners this week approved the Health Department's request for the contract, which will be funded entirely by federal pandemic relief dollars.

COVID-19 cases in Bucks County have so far been tracked by about a dozen Health Department employees. These public health nurses have been working six and seven days a week to conduct case investigations in addition to their normal duties, county officials said.

Out of roughly 6,900 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bucks County, investigators at the Health Department have successfully made contact with more than 95 percent of infected people.

The addition of the new case investigators, the new call center staff and data managers will bolster the county’s long-term COVID-19 response, said David Damsker, director of the county health department.

“It’s difficult to keep the fire lit when you’re working for six months straight without a break,” Damsker said. “Additional staff will help us as we continue managing the pandemic in Bucks County and allow us to plan for future initiatives, including the distribution of an eventual COVID-19 vaccine – all without continuing to neglect our regular duties.”

The Health Department’s case investigators also work to figure out where patients catch the virus and what symptoms they are experiencing, as well as symptom onset date.

The commissioners also approved the allocation of $3.7 million in federal COVID-19 stimulus funds to Visit Bucks County for its effort to boost local businesses impacted by the downturn in tourism and travel.

Paul Bencivengo, President and COO of Visit Bucks County, told the commissioners the funds will be aimed at shoring up the hospitality industry, which employs some 28,000 countywide.