The School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine faculty, staff, students, and alumni are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak. We have asked any affiliates with our school to share their experiences and stories. This story comes Jake Hurwitz:
About me: I am an MD/MPH student within the Disaster Management program at SPHTM. I am a graduate of Tulane’s BSPH program and have a second bachelor’s in Emergency and Security Studies from Tulane’s School for Professional Advancement.
Prior to medical school, I was an employee of the New Orleans Health Department and then the Louisiana Department of Health. With both organizations, my roles were related to public health emergency preparedness and response. I continue to support NOHD with a number of emergency preparedness projects.
About my role with COVID-19: I am a part of the emergency preparedness team with the New Orleans Health Department, working with the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and other state and federal partners.
We work out of the Emergency Operations Center in City Hall to coordinate public health, public safety, and medical efforts across the city. My specific role is to help plan and implement citywide measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and prepare for the strain it will place on our healthcare facilities.
In the last week, I have been heavily involved with the launch of the drive-through testing sites in New Orleans, which are pilot program operated through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
