UCSF will launch a new program aimed at providing training and technical assistance in "public health techniques and strategies," according to a press release.
Developed in partnership with the California Department of Public Health, the $8.7 million program includes training on contact tracing, case investigation and administration aimed at tracking and eliminating the spread of the coronavirus. It's funded by a state grant.
According to the release, UCSF public health experts will deliver training through 58 county health departments and are aiming to train 3,000 people per week through early July.
“Rapid and efficient contact tracing, along with sophisticated epidemic surveillance and widespread testing, are key parts of the public health strategy we must have in place before we can safely allow more businesses to reopen,” said UCSF's Dr. George Rutherford in the release. “Done effectively, these strategies will help to break the chain of transmission and enable people to return to a more normal life.”
The UCSF Pandemic Workforce Training Academy will be taught primarily online and take about 20 hours. The aim is to train people to work with diverse populations in order to link those who are newly infected with COVID-19 to services "so they can be safely isolated and treated until they are no longer infectious."
— Michelle Wiley (@MichelleEWiley)