From staff reports
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday announced the creation of the Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps.
According to a release from Wolf’s office, the public service initiative is designed to support efforts later in the year to increase testing and contact tracing, and provide job opportunities in the public health sector.
The work will allow Pennsylvanians to monitor and respond to new cases and quantify mitigation efforts, the release said.
The Corps would:
-Partner with public health agencies, community organizations and nonprofits to expand Pennsylvania’s existing testing and contract tracing initiatives.
– Leverage additional resources to fund testing and contact tracing initiatives.
-Explore ways to recruit Pennsylvanians with health care and public health experience to support the initiative.
-Coordinate existing resources deployed by the state, including community health nurses and county health departments currently conducting testing and contact tracing throughout the state.
According to the release, the Corps also would recruit and train coronavirus-impacted dislocated and unemployed workers into public service for contact tracing roles, which would address Pennsylvania’s health and economic needs.
– Engage partners in the workforce development system, existing allied health training programs, and AmeriCorps programs to build and strengthen a public health workforce across the state.
– Leverage existing workforce development resources to recruit, train and connect the public health workforce with employment opportunities.
– Engage public health and health care employers to connect trained workers with long-term career opportunities.