Nine Northern Essex Community College (Haverhill and Lawrence, MA) Public Health students have joined Governor Charlie Baker’s recently announced initiative to address the spread of COVID-19 in Massachusetts.

Adding to their school, family, and work obligations, these students, along with volunteers statewide, are helping to track and trace COVID-19 patients with the goal of isolating the infection and stopping the spread of the virus.

After undergoing online training, they are contacting residents who were recently diagnosed with COVID-19 to see where they have been and with whom they have been in contact.

The Academic Public Health Volunteer Corps (APHVC) is a novel partnership that includes Partners in Health, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services COVID-19 Command Center, the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, and the public health programs from 11 Boston educational institutions of higher education including Northern Essex. Other institutions include Northeastern University, Boston University, Tufts University, Harvard University, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Simmons University, Regis College, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and
Health Sciences.

The volunteers, once they complete online training, are deployed in teams to serve 351 boards of health in Massachusetts. The program is designed in four areas of concentrations, according to Jacqueline Dick, professor and program director of the NECC Public Health Associate Degree and Community Health Certificate programs. The APHVC will contact trace and track patients, coordinate with communities’ public health departments, disseminate information via social media/communications, and perform virtual check-ins with patients.

Dick said some of her students lost their internships due to COVID-19, so this is an opportunity for them to complete their mandatory hours not to mention gain valuable public health experience while sharing their own public health knowledge. Partners in Health intends to hire 1,000 paid public health positions in addition to the volunteer corps which will continue. It is hoped some of the NECC students will be considered and transition to employment.

Rosanna Lara of Lawrence, who has already earned a Community Health Certificate and is on track to graduate from the Public Health associate degree program in May, is anxious to get to work. She has already completed the initial training and is working on additional training.

“I hope that all of the knowledge that I have gained throughout my years in the Public Health program, along with all the required online training I received in the past few weeks, can help me contribute efficiently to collaborate in COVID-19 Contact Tracing,” Lara said.

“This was something some of the public health students definitely wanted to be involved with,” Dick said.

Massachusetts is the first and only state to create an APHVC, according to Dick. Since its inception, just a few short weeks ago, New Jersey and California have inquired about its creation and progress.

This model, said Dick, is one of the measures used to stem the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa.

“I told the students,” said Dick. “This is not a dress rehearsal. This is public health.”

Students participating include: Shaliwa Babirye of Lowell; Victoria Cerasuolo and Wendy Castro of Bradford; Chelsea St. Jean of Haverhill; Jatnyn Hernandez Rosanna Lara, Rebecca Shipweya, and Silvia Urena Polenco of Lawrence;
and Margaret Kamau of North Andover.

For more information about the NECC Public Health Program, visit the website or contact the college, admissions@necc.mass.edu, 978 556-3700.

Northern Essex offers and associate degree in public health and a certificate in community health. For additional information on either of these programs go to the program page.

NECC radiologic technology professor Angela Bowers couldn’t have known a dozen years ago when she enrolled in a bone identification class that it would one day lead to her caring for cruise ship passengers during a pandemic.

But that is just what happened, according to the Derry, N.H. resident.

The mother of two just returned from a two-week deployment with the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) where she served with the Trauma Critical Care Team – East monitoring patients removed from the Grand Princess and Diamond Princess cruise ships docked in California. More than 100 cruise passengers, from across the country, from infants to elderly, were flown to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, and quarantined in the barracks for 14 days, where Bowers cared for them.

The NDMS is a federally coordinated healthcare system and partnership of the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Homeland Security (DHS), Defense (DOD), and Veterans Affairs (VA). The purpose of the NDMS is to support state, local, tribal and territorial authorities following disasters and emergencies by supplementing health and medical systems and response capabilities.

The 27-year rad tech veteran joined the NDMS more than 10 years ago. Bowers, who earned a certificate from St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach Florida, was working on her bachelor’s from Indian River State College, when she enrolled in the forensic anthropology course and first learned of the NDMS. After researching its role in disaster response she began the arduous task of applying. It took two years of paperwork and background checks for Bowers, who hold a master’s degree from Thomas Jefferson University, to be accepted. Bowers has spent the last 10 years attending online and in person trainings and summits preparing for an opportunity to assist in a disaster – natural or otherwise. The opportunity came when she was activated at 11:05 p.m. on March 12.

For 14 days her team provided direct care to the cruise ship passengers sent to Dobbins. Duties included monitoring passengers’ temperatures twice daily, swabbing patients suspected of COVID-19, and delivering packages, luggage, and necessary medications.

“COVID brought with it disruption and anxiety. Despite the cold and the rain we worked collaboratively to keep the passengers safe,” she said. “Initially they were frustrated and aggravated. Without their luggage, some didn’t even have essentials like shampoo, soap, or toilet paper. We built connections. They called us by our first names. We would bring non-essentials to them like chips or dark chocolate to make the situation better. Eventually they opened up to us and would have conversations with us.”

While Bowers certainly doesn’t wish for another disaster, and despite the 12 to 15-hour work days, she said her deployment was a positive experience. Colleagues, she added, became family.

“We don’t do this for pay. We do it to serve others,” Bowers said. “I enjoyed the experience and I think we made a difference. You could see the smiles under the masks.”

NECC offers an associate degree in radiologic technology. For more information on the program, visit the program page. Angela Bowers is program director.

President Praises College Faculty and Staff

President Lane Glenn praised the extraordinary effort that has been shown by faculty and staff over the past two weeks as the college transitioned to remote learning, due to the COVID-19 threat.

“The scale of what has been accomplished is flabbergasting,” said Glenn. “People have stepped up to provide assistance to one another. It’s been a whirlwind. I can’t begin to start naming individuals. We owe thanks to so many.”

When the semester started, 20 percent of credit courses were offered online and 15 percent were offered in a hybrid format including online and face-to-face learning.

“Two-thirds of our classes weren’t expected to be taught remotely,” said Glenn.

Using tools like Blackboard, Navigate, Zoom, Skype, and YouTube, each faculty member has created a remote learning plan appropriate for the course they are teaching.

The college is carefully monitoring announcements from Governor Baker and information shared by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) and Glenn anticipates there will be announcements soon about continuing remote learning through the end of the spring semester and cancelling the May 16 commencement.

“Our employees and students have been through an awful lot,” said Glenn. “More of our students are going to be successful this year because of these efforts. As a trustee, I hope you share my pride in these people.

Federal Care Act will Provide some Benefit to NECC

The Care Act, a federal law that directs $2 trillion in funding to COVID-19 relief efforts will provide some benefits to Northern Essex, according to Glenn, who estimates the college will receive “a few million dollars”.

But he cautioned trustees not to “get too excited.” Direct expenses and lost revenue related to COVID-19 should total more than twice what the college will receive from the Care Act.

Five will Receive Emeritus Status

Five recently retired college faculty and staff will receive emeritus status after a unanimous vote by the trustees.

Those receiving emeritus status include Stephen Fabbrucci, vice president emeritus of human resources; Kerin Hamidiani, professor emerita dental assisting program; Nancy Julin, assistant dean emerita of health professions; Patricia Kidney, professor emerita of art & design; and Jean Poth, vice president emerita of institutional advancement.

At Northern Essex, the rank of emeritus is an honor that recognizes sustained excellence in performance, character, and meritorious service to the college. Emeritus status is given to a retired college employee based on recommendations by the college’s emeritus committee and approved by NECC President Lane Glenn.

Emeritus recipients are typically honored at Commencement.

Fees for Fall Semester Decided

Trustees voted unanimously to increase fees for FY2021 by $6 per credit. The increases will take effect in the fall of 2020.

“The increase is approximately 2 percent of the cost of student tuition and fees for next year,” said President Glenn.

All credit courses that are non-health related will increase to $193 per credit and allied health courses will increase to $273 per credit. The $20 per credit facility fee increase, which supports facility projects and operational needs, was also extended for another year. Trustees voted to temporarily increase this fee in FY18.