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Janet Hill - Tumultuous 2020

Janet Hill, the Chief Operating Officer of the Rock Island County Health Department, discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Rock Island County from March 2020 to February 2022. Hill outlines the different challenges the health department staff had to overcome, including adding to their services while maintaining previous ones as the pandemic made new needs clear. Hill, a former journalist, describes in detail the creation of mass testing and later vaccination sites, developing contact tracing, managing services during the lock downs, and handling different means of funding assistance. The Rock Island County Health Department did not work alone, but also coordinated with officials across the Mississippi River in Iowa as part of the Quad Cities COVID-19 Coalition. Hill closes the interview with a discussion about the personal impact of the pandemic and her vision for the future.