Population Health Institute
Translating Research for Policy and Practice

COVID-19 Response Corps: Overview (2019-2023)

As the number of COVID-19 cases rose in Wisconsin, local public health departments and tribal health centers (LTHDs) needed additional capacity to manage the response. The Wisconsin COVID-19 Response Corps program (2019-2023) provided support to local health departments and tribal health centers (LTHDs) in building their capacity to prevent and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through two ways:

  1. Training: Provided training, alignment support and guidance to LTHDs across the state focused on COVID-19 response in Wisconsin, health equity, engaged community practice and just recovery.
  2. Wisconsin COVID-19 Response Corps Training and Service Program (RC):  The RC provided much needed human capacity around the state to respond to the pandemic through service grounded in health equity and just recovery. The RC was an 18-21-month service and training program designed for a range of public health and allied professionals to provide direct response to this unprecedented global pandemic. Through this program, Wisconsin Response Corps members (RCM) were placed in practice-based settings in local public health departments and tribal health centers around Wisconsin. RCMs learned and grew as professionals through this direct response work, continuing training and mentoring focused on health equity, emergency response and capacity building.

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Program Goals

  • Provide workforce capacity and training for the COVID-19 response at the community level.
  • Match Response Corps members to local and tribal health departments in a manner that builds public health capacity to respond to COVID-19, based on particular needs and local contexts.
  • Provide Response Corps members with training, engagement and professional development opportunities that align with the response needs and a just recovery.
  • Provide mentorship to Response Corps members and support community building and shared learning across the cohort.

Program Background

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact residents in Wisconsin and neighboring states, staff and leadership from PHI and MATCH were called upon by DHS to collaborate on a response to the crisis. The Community Resilience and Response Task Force (CRRTF) is a partnership between the Wisconsin State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) – Future Operations Branch and the UW Population Health Institute. In partnership with Resilient WI (DHS), UW Extension, and the Governor’s Office, the Task Force aims to integrate concepts of community resilience, equity, and mental health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Leveraging UW Population Health Institute’s experience, knowledge and skills gained through ongoing work, leading the Wisconsin Population Health Service Fellowship program, and CRRTF COVID-19 response work, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) partnered with the MATCH group at PHI to develop and implement the Wisconsin COVID-19 Response Corps with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Trainings

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COVID-19 Response Corps Team