ABSTRACT
Local governments, especially in rural settings, may look to collaborate with neighboring communities to maintain public health services and efficiencies in face of restrictive local budgets. Cross-jurisdictional partnerships of rural health departments have allowed offering an increased range of prevention programs and community health initiatives. Genesee and Orleans counties, in rural Western New York, developed a cross-jurisdictional partnership 7 years ago which has been integral for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response for both county health departments. Using a cross-jurisdictional partnership and a joint incident command structure has allowed a coordinated approach towards contact tracing of COVID-19 confirmed cases.
Subject(s)
Contact Tracing/methods , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Local Government , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Public Health Administration/methods , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Cooperative Behavior , Humans , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , United StatesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Smartphone applications (apps) are increasingly used to facilitate casual sexual relationships, increasing the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In STD investigations, traditional contact elicitation methods can be enhanced with smartphone technology during field interviews. METHODS: In 2013, the Monroe County Department of Public Health conducted a large, multi-infection STD investigation among men who have sex with men (MSM) using both index case and cluster interviews. When patients indicated meeting sexual partners online, disease intervention specialists (DISs) had access to smartphone apps and were able to elicit partners through access to inboxes and profiles where traditional contact information was lacking. Social network mapping was used to display the extent of the investigation and the impact of access to smartphones on the investigation. RESULTS: A total of 14 index patient interviews and two cluster interviews were conducted; 97 individuals were identified among 117 sexual dyads. On average, eight partners were elicited per interview (range: 1-31). The seven individuals who used apps to find partners had an average of three Internet partners (range: 1-5). Thirty-six individuals either had a new STD (n=7) or were previously known to be HIV-positive (n=29). Of the 117 sexual dyads, 21 (18%) originated either online (n=8) or with a smartphone app (n=13). Of those originating online or with a smartphone app, six (29%) partners were located using the smartphone and two (10%) were notified of their exposure via a website. Three of the new STD/HIV cases were among partners who met online. CONCLUSION: Smartphone technology used by DISs in the field improved contact elicitation and resulted in successful partner notification and case finding.
