The results team was tasked with calling and sending followup letters to every person who tested positive for COVID-19 at our outpatient testing centers, including emergency departments, Norton Respiratory Illness Testing Centers and site-based testing events offered around the community.

Story by: Lynne Choate on August 23, 2021

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, teams across Norton Healthcare pulled together to do what needed to be done. That included the results team led by Michelle Rose, manager, Population Health, Norton Infectious Diseases Institute. Little did this team realize the vital role they would play over the course of the pandemic.

The results team was tasked with calling and sending followup letters to every person who tested positive for COVID-19 at our outpatient testing centers, including emergency departments, Norton Respiratory Illness Testing Centers and site-based testing events offered around the community.

As of April 2021, the team had called more than 28,500 patients and sent more than 53,300 letters with follow-up information.

“This team worked so hard over the course of the past year,” Michelle said. “They did more than call and give confirmation of positive testing; they also provided education and resources for contact tracing. Phone calls ranged from just a few minutes up to 15 minutes if someone needed more support.”

The team started out with just five nurses and educators, but as the pandemic peaked in the summer and again in the fall, the team expanded to 20 members.

“I am so proud of this team that came together to support our community,” Michelle said. “This is an incredible public health service that provides consistent, timely and medically accurate messaging for the most recent emerging infectious disease.”