“We do everything we can to match our clients with folks who speak the same language and have the cultural sensitivity to have this conversation with you. That means making sure that the same communities getting hit by COVID are represented in our workforce," said Assistant Health Officer Dr. Sarah Rudman, who leads the Santa Clara County’s contact tracing program. (Photo courtesy of Santa Clara County Public Health Department)

As the U.S. experiences record-breaking surges of the coronavirus, communities across California have struggled to contain outbreaks of the virus. But in Santa Clara County, public health officials are offering a model for one possible recourse: building a massive network of contact tracers that’s ready to be activated at a moment’s notice.

Since March, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department has recruited a workforce of more than 1,000 contract tracers: about 350 volunteers, another 350 county employees redirected from other departments, about 150 state workers, about 100 county health workers, and an additional 50 more people hired specifically for contact tracing. 

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