Contact tracing gets a lift

State paying $23M to bolster effort as cases keep climbing

With coronavirus cases climbing across Connecticut, the state Department of Public Health is paying a San Diego firm nearly $24 million to hire, train and oversee a crew of contact tracers to bolster the efforts of local health departments.

AMN Healthcare is recruiting contact tracers, case investigators and supervisors to supplement local health departments in tracing those whohave been in touch with people who test positive for COVID-19. AMNhas hired 105 full-time tracers so far.

Under the contract, the state pays AMN $1,900 for each person hired, up to a total of 350 people. After that, the rate drops to $950. They also are paying AMN$526,000 monthly in administration fees.

AMN is required to submit weekly reports to DPH officials overseeing the state’s contact tracing program to make sure they are hitting certain metrics, including contacts successfully reached within 48 hours of diagnosis and total volume of calls.

The contract requires that all of the tracers must be Connecticut residents. The contract calls for contract tracers to earn $29.50 an hour, case investigators to earn $43.25 and supervisors $57.50 an hour.

“They are assisting us in recruiting people and overseeing them but they answer to DPH officials who have been running the contact tracing program,” said Josh Geballe, the state’s chief operating officer.

The state has a multi-pronged approach to contact tracing that relies on local health districts, the paid AMNworkersandvolunteers. When someone tests positive, that information is placed into DPH’s system