Breakout Session 1 - Zoned Project Management Amid Individual Outreach Initiatives: The Array of Activities Supported by the NYSPHC Fellow Team at Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health)

Since the implementation of the New York State Public Health Corps (NYSPHC) Fellow program, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) have maintained a team of up to four Fellows to assist with COVID-19 response, wider emergency preparedness initiatives, targeted research and outreach activities, and key infrastructure support. While some activities have required full participation from this team, capacity has also been maintained for projects of individual interest and importance. This panel explores two separate projects sustained by individual NYSPHC Fellow efforts, involving mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and wastewater analysis for local COVID-19 prevalence. The panel also addresses the primary shared activities of the team, including management of COVID-19 mass immunization and testing, and the reformulation and promotion of a local medical reserve corps (MRC) unit. The “zoned” approach to point of dispensing (POD) clinic management and MRC organization is meant to separate out essential work areas consistent with incident command system (ICS) principles while still attending to the practical and spatial needs of repetitive and ongoing public-facing events. In this way, zoned project management includes both collaborative team efforts as well as individually coordinated projects, helping balance larger emergency preparedness tasks with individual motivations and activities of NYSPHC Fellows.