SOUTH HOLLAND, IL– South Suburban College’s Office of Continuing Education is offering a new non-credit course this summer titled COVID–19 Contact Tracing: Changing the Face of the Public Health Workforce. With the pandemic-driven need for contact tracing, this course provides an overview of contact tracing investigations to meet the demand of the growing public health workforce of Contact Tracing Investigators.
COVID–19 Contact Tracing: Changing the Face of the Public Health Workforce is an online 4-week course with 24 contact hours. The course is self-paced and each student will be responsible for completing the course independently rather than following a structure set by an instructor. The course will provide training on the basics of disease transmission, the principles behind case isolation and quarantine of contacts as a public health measure, the ethics around public health data collection and use, risk communication, cultural sensitivity, and the basics of data collection. It will also provide an overview on how to assess relevant symptoms; investigate and follow up with contacts. Students will become knowledgeable about cultural sensitivity and humility as well as how to help contacts navigate the public health and healthcare systems in the jurisdictions in which they are working.
This is a partnership among Governor’s State University, Project Brotherhood and South Suburban College. Project Brotherhood is a health clinic focused on using community outreach and preventive education to meet the needs and improve the health of African American men in the Woodlawn area on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. The clinic is operated by a combination of staff, volunteers, and interns and hosts a variety of free services for members of the community.
“South Suburban College is pleased to announce this brand-new course to meet the demands of our workforce and provide a well-timed educational opportunity to our community professionals,” said Dr. Lynette Stokes, SSC President. “We see great value in collaborations like COVID–19 Contact Tracing, and I would like to thank GSU and Project Brotherhood for their partnership on this project.”
Course instructors include the following experts:
- Dr. Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH, FACP
- Dr. Tonya Roberson, PhD, MPH, DTR
- Mr. Marcus Murray, MPH
The first course begins on July 13th at a cost of $270.00. For more information please contact the Office of Continuing Education at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2231 or email noncredit@ssc.edu.