Sustainable Career Pathways for Contact Tracers- June 2020 Introduction Scaling up our Public Health Workforce

Over the next few months cities all across the nation will Scaling up our Public Health Workforce begin the process of rapidly hiring and The pandemic is underscoring the gaps in our deploying contact tracers in some of the hardest public health infrastructure that are hit communities. [...] Administration (HRSA) reports that the United It's unclear how long the COVID-19 pandemic States has a critical shortage of workers, in a will last but experts agree that eventually variety of fields, and this shortage is expected to COVID-19 will be past us and we will get back to increase because of our aging population in some sense of normalcy. [...] But what does this need of greater care, increases in chronic mean for the thousands of contact tracers? disease, limited capacity of education programs, Undoubtedly some will remain in public health and our retiring workforce.† Contact tracers can departments and community organizations in play a key role in helping to rebuild our public contact tracing and community health health workforce if gi. [...] Cost of Duration of Education Median Education & Education & Requirements Average Career Description Training Training Wage Contact Tracer Contact tracer notify individuals of their Less than Less than 1 High School Degree/ NA exposure to infected people, and help to $10,000 year GED Equivalent ensure the safe, sustainable, and effective quarantine of contacts to prevent additional transmission. [...] Community Community health workers conduct outreach Less than Less than 1 Basic Certificate $40,360 Health Worker for medical personnel or health organizations $10,000 year to implement programs in the community that promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health.