Pa. to hire more coronavirus contact tracers, starting at $18 an hour

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Friday it will hire 1,000 additional contact tracing staff in an effort to curb the spread of covid-19.

A nearly $23 million, federally funded contract with Insight Global, an Atlanta-based staffing agency, will help pay to recruit, hire, train and support the contact tracers, officials said.

Pay for contact tracers ranges from $18 to $22 an hour. The rate for contact tracing supervisors and care resource managers ranges from $22 to $24 an hour. All work is remote.

“Across Pennyslvania, we have dedicated public health professionals who truly are the backbone of contact tracing, and this expansion of the contact tracing team will only support, strengthen and expand their efforts,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “This project will bolster and diversify our public health workforce all while coordinating and mobilizing efforts in order to conquer any potential surge in covid-19 cases. We are eager to bring on board and train this new cohort of public health professionals to help identify, notify and monitor anyone who came in close contact with an individual who tested positive for covid-19.”

The additional 1,000 workers will join the existing 654 contact tracers working throughout Pennsylvania. Insight Global and the Health Department will recruit, train, and support new contact tracers, contact tracer supervisors and care resource managers.

Contact tracers verify, monitor and support people who have been in close contact with individuals who have a confirmed or probable covid-19 diagnosis.

Field managers are hired to supervise contact tracers in a specific region and foster relationships with regional partners.

Community health nurses assist in covid-19 case investigations, which identify and investigate patients who are classified as confirmed or probable covid-19 cases.

For details regarding Pennsylvania’s contact tracing efforts, visit the Department of Health’s website.