Bridging the Gap through Service

The fundamental module of National Health Corps Pittsburgh has been managed through the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) since 1994, bridging the gap between members and agencies within the Pittsburgh area. With this foundation, ACHD has hosted many AmeriCorps members through various programs. However, there have been some bureaus that had not been host sites for members until the 2014-2015 service year.

The Bureau of Assessment, Statistics and Epidemiology (BASE) hosted its first ever AmeriCorps member in 2014. This pressing need for a member came about as a result of disease surveillance expansion initiatives within Allegheny County; mainly the investigation of Lyme and Hepatitis C cases. The Hepatitis C and Lyme disease initiatives were launched in 2014-2015 with little focus and had never been done before due to policy concerns and cost.

A brief interview with Dr. Mertz, the medical epidemiologist at the ACHD gave more insight into the need for an AmeriCorps member and the importance of the role we play in the surveillance initiative. When asked why specifically Lyme disease and Hepatitis C, she explained that Lyme cases have exploded in the Pittsburgh area and Hepatitis C have become more prevalent as well within the county.  This initiative was launched to obtain clinical and lab information to correctly classify cases, determine the number of newly diagnosed cases, assess risk factors and linkage to care.  Dr. Mertz went further to say that she knew an AmeriCorps member was the right choice because AmeriCorps members are service-minded and have a commitment to serving the community at large. In her words, “we wouldn’t have been able to do our Lyme disease project without AmeriCorps.”

When asked about the member’s role in the enhancement of organizational and community partnerships, she explained that the member worked with healthcare providers, infectious control staff at hospitals, and community organizations, all of whom had similar goals of preventing infectious disease. This partnership between ACHD through the member and community organizations helped the community gain better understanding in the workings of the health department. She expanded further by stating that the member was very effective in gathering all information on Lyme disease cases in 2014 and began collecting information for Hepatitis C in 2015. The member did all the lay work for both projects by interviewing hundreds of providers and patients to get information on cases.

Lastly, when asked if BASE will host future member she said “yes definitely without a doubt we will continue to request AmeriCorps member for as long as they are available. We benefit a lot from them.”

As the second and current member serving at the ACHD BASE my goal in this position is to enhance the Hepatitis C surveillance Initiative by giving an accurate account of the number of confirmed cases within Allegheny County. I also hope to develop stronger ties with the Community Liver Alliance and other organizations to work on linkage to care and payment assistance for treatment of key populations that are affected by the burden of Hepatitis C.