Statement on CDC Director Testimony before the House Appropriations Committee Regarding Contact Tracing

By Blair Childs, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs

Premier agrees with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director on the need to have contact tracers across the country to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Instead of creating a new set of government employees, state and local health departments should invest in hospitals and health systems across the country, many of which have had to furlough or lay off workers due to the financial impact of COVID-19 on their institutions. This is an accessible base of public servants who have the requisite knowledge, are committed to their communities and already work directly with patients, their caregivers and families. These trained healthcare workers can also tap into value-based initiates to ensure the wellness of patients in less costlier environments.

To effectively track surges, contact tracing efforts must also be supported by a national syndromic surveillance program that immediately identifies those likely infected. Such a system can pull in information on symptoms, comorbidities and other vital information such as race, allowing for targeted tracing and interventions to proactively prevent outbreaks. Early detection through real-time surveillance of symptoms is by far the most economical way to stem COVID-19 and would save federal, state and local governments billions in testing, contact tracing and other efforts.