Marin County staffers adapt to virus disaster roles

Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, Danika Ng has stepped away from her job as an oral health program coordinator for the county of Marin to track and file patient records at the COVID-19 testing site in San Rafael.

If it weren’t for the pandemic, Cristin Seppa would be running the competitive exhibitions at the Marin County Fair. Instead, she has been managing the protective gear inventory for county employees and health care partners who are working to contain the disease.

Ng and Seppa come from different departments. But as county employees, they have been tapped to act as disaster service workers, or DSWs, to support the fight against the coronavirus.

There are 215 county staffers behind Marin’s COVID-19 response effort. They are doing everything from hotel care and shelter management for the homeless, food delivery for those in need, record keeping, planning, inventory and more.

“This wouldn’t have worked without the support of the county’s 22 departments and all of their employees,” said Angela Nicholson, assistant county administrator. She is serving as director of the Marin Emergency Operations Center.

Nicholson said the EOC will be active for at least six months. County employees have gradually been getting back to their regular jobs, but the priority for Marin officials is controlling the virus, she said.

“This isn’t just a Marin health and human service issue, this is a global pandemic,” she said. “Our workers are all contributing to ensure that our community is safe.”

Ng said that, as a county employee, she knew there could times when she would have to pivot into the disaster service role. She got her first taste of it last fall, when Pacific Gas and Electric Co. shut off power during extreme wildfire weather.

Today, Ng is working with a rotating team of about 20 staffers at the COVID-19 testing site at the Marin County Civic Center. She said in recent weeks, as test kits became more available, the team was working with close to 200 patients a day.

Ng is responsible for taking inventory of test kits, running and filing patient documentation, labeling test kits and scheduling, among other tasks.

“It’s a really satisfying and humbling experience,” Ng said. “Patients are so thankful that they’re able to come in and get tested. It really reminds us why we are doing what we are doing.”

Seppa said when she got her first assignment as a DSW, the county fair had yet to be canceled. She works about four days a week building spreadsheets to track gloves, masks, gowns, face shields and other protective gear.

She also coordinates with medical health professionals as well as county staffers to figure out what equipment is needed and where, and answers emails and phone calls from the public.

“I was expecting it to be more stressful,” Seppa said. “It was very comforting to see these people take charge and be so calm and really know how to handle an emergency.”

Karrie Groves, program manager for emergency medical services during the pandemic, said, “We could not do what we do without disaster service workers.”

“It would be scary,” Groves said.

Groves regularly works as a nurse at the emergency department at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae. She is contracted by the county during emergencies to provide and coordinate care at drive-thru testing sites, nursing homes, long-term care centers and community clinics.

“Our disaster service workers have stepped up in more ways than one,” Groves said.

Rebekah Reali has shifted from her position as a social service worker for the probation department to provide support for Marin’s homeless residents.

“We are all feeling emotional right now, but many of those who are homeless have no other contact other than those struggling on the streets,” she said. “We are providing information, referrals for services and a lot of emotional support for these folks.”

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County has greatly benefitted from the help, said Christine Paquette, executive director of the San Rafael nonprofit.

Primarily, the disaster service workers have worked in the organization’s homelessness prevention department. They also help in the free dining room on B Street in downtown San Rafael, ensuring social distancing, mask wearing and assisting diners and staff where needed.

“We cannot handle the amount of calls without assistance, especially with monolingual Spanish speakers, so DSWs are a great help to us right now,” Paquette said. “This has been a great support to us and to our diners as we’ve had to pivot to this new to-go meals model on the street.”