Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tawny Kruse | Spc. Veronica Daniel, a unit supply specialist with the 3655th Maintenance Company,...... read more read more
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Approximately 150 Iowa National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have been activated to operate call centers at three locations in Iowa to assist the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) in determining the extent of COVID-19 in the state.
“We’re here as liaisons for the Iowa Department of Public Health,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Curtis Collicott, one of the shift supervisors for the Task Force Central location in Johnston. Task Force West is operating in Sioux City and Task Force East is operating in Cedar Rapids.
“We’re contacting people who have tested positive to see where they’re at with their symptoms and fill out several questions on a survey,” Collicott said. “We also gather information about what contact they’ve had with other people while they were infectious.”
All of the information collected is voluntarily provided by the public and is maintained on IDPH data systems, and each person is verified before the test results are given. The surveys are crucial to help track the spread of the virus. It also ensures those who have come in contact with COVID-19-positive patients can be tested.
One Soldier assigned to the 334th Brigade Support Battalion, Iowa Army National Guard, is familiar with call center work.
“I have worked in a call center before, but never built one from the ground up,” said Staff Sgt. Cassie Underwood, shift supervisor for the Task Force East location. “It’s a unique experience.”
But for some, this is a new mission that can come with heavy responsibilities. Collicott was on state active duty during the 2008 floods in Iowa. While placing sand bags was physically demanding, the call center offers its own set of challenges.
“This is more mentally taxing,” Collicott said, “there’s not a lot of physical effort in dialing phones, but there’s a lot more mental and emotional stress that can happen when you’re talking to people who may have just found out they’re positive.”
Spc. Kohlton Pike, a motor transport operator assigned to the 1168th Transportation Company, Iowa Army National Guard, said some contacts have already been notified of their positive test results from their healthcare provider or employer, but that’s not always the case.
“We have to break the news sometimes,” Pike said, “sometimes you contact parents of young children who tested positive. It’s hard, but you have to do it.”
Pike, who’s working at the Task Force Central location, said despite the tough moments, he feels like he’s making a difference on state active duty to help fight against the virus.
“You have to stay calm and understand it’s hard, but we’ll get through it and you let them know you’re there to help them,” Pike said, “Iowa is just one big family and we’ll keep pushing like we always have.”
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.04.2020 17:08 |
| Story ID: | 369098 |
| Location: | JOHNSTON, IOWA, US |
| Hometown: | CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, US |
| Hometown: | DES MOINES, IOWA, US |
| Hometown: | JOHNSTON, IOWA, US |
| Hometown: | WINTERSET, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 456 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Iowa National Guard partners with IDPH to stand up COVID-19 call centers, by SFC Tawny Kruse, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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