SOMESET — “I hope this is just temporary,” Emily Lachance said.
She said the same thing six months ago.
The town nurse for both Swansea and Somerset, Lachance has seen her daily job change significantly since COVID-19 fears fiercely impacted the country in March. “My typical day has changed a bit, to say the least,” she said.
Pre-pandemic, Lachance’s job focused heavily on face-to-face interaction with the community. Giving flu shots. Health counseling. Assisting the Council on Aging with programs like medical equipment loaners.
“Now,” she said, “it’s much more of an administrative role with contact tracing.”
Once informed by the state's Department of Health of a positive test result for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Lachance springs into action. She asks the people who have tested positive about symptoms, about when and why they got tested, about contacts during their infectious period. She educates positive testers and their contacts about quarantining, isolation, what symptoms to look out for.
"For all parties involved – positive patients or close contacts – I also inquire throughout the conversation as to whether they have any essential needs that they won’t be able to keep met while kept at home," Lachance said in an email. "If they need things like food, medication, assistance with eviction threats, etc, I put them in contact with a case manager from the state’s Contact Tracing Collaborative (CTC)."
Contact tracing is not the most exhilarating part of her job, and it is time consuming. But, Lachance is happy to report she’s gotten much appreciated assistance from Swansea school nurses this summer. “That was wonderful. That’s let me play catch-up," she said.
Approaching the start of her fifth year in the Swansea-Somerset job, Lachance said that while she misses the personal contact she knew pre-pandemic, that contact has not disappeared. She has started doing flu shots again. It’s that time of the year, though no walk-ins are allowed for shots. Citizens need to make an appointment.
And she finds herself counseling citizens about when to stay home, and counseling businesses on operational policies related to the pandemic. “I’ve been busier than ever, if that’s possible,” she said.
She’s proud of the two towns and the measures taken by officials and residents alike to combat infection. “But all you need is one event and your numbers can go up dramatically,” she said.
And while she spends more time staring into her computer screen and misses the frequent contact with members of the community, Lachance doesn’t want anyone to think she doesn’t still enjoy her job.
“It’s been a real interesting experience,” she said. “I’ve learned so much the last six months. Pandemics are funny – you don’t know what you don’t know. I’ve gotten a different perspective on public health.”
She said she's enjoyed working with department heads on re-opening strategies, working with fire and police chiefs. Lachance said she has formed new bonds with area public health nurses. "And I now sit on two advisory committees for the state that discuss the role of the CTC and how it can be even more beneficial to local health departments as well as the general advancement of the public health role in our communities."
Email Greg Sullivan at gsullivan@heraldnews.com. Follow him @GregSullivanHN.