Rising to the Challenge to Address Rising COVID-19 Cases

Healthcare professionals in Hawaii’s hospitals have been working tirelessly to meet the needs of patients of all ages, especially those in intensive care units, to provide vitally needed care and to prevent deaths.

However, many other caring professionals are working behind the scenes — without fanfare and attention — to address the rising number of cases. Their contributions are critically important to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our state.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health’s Environmental Health Division has two such dedicated individuals, who have been volunteering to help with testing: Joanna Seto, P.E., Environmental Management Division Chief, and Liz Galvez, who leads the Emergency Preparedness and Response Section of the Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office.

 

Full Plates Don’t Stop Them from Giving
Both have busy jobs during the week with a full plate overflowing with responsibilities to preserve and protect Hawaii’s precious environment—an important aspect of public health.

“I attend a lot of meetings and sign permits and enforcement actions to protect the State’s environment,” Joanna said. “I try to plan ahead to support the branches in the Environmental Management Division.”

“My world is HazMat,” Liz said. “I deal with environmental emergencies relating to chemicals and oil. We respond to complaints, conduct site inspections, clean-up or oversee spills.”

Despite their packed schedules, these two leaders both go above and beyond by volunteering their time on weekends to help with the coordination of COVID-19 testing sites. Their willingness to volunteer was born out of their concern for their community and a desire to do more to make a difference in the midst of the challenging pandemic.

Committed to Serving Others
“It would be great to be able to relax, but I think that we are at a critical point where so many people want or need to get tested. I just wish that more non-vaccinated people will get vaccinated,” Liz said. “While most were still waiting for their turn to be vaccinated, I considered myself very fortunate that I was vaccinated; that is when I decided to volunteer. I thought that one of the vital components to combat COVID-19 besides getting the vaccination is by getting tested. If someone knows that they are positive, they can isolate and protect others from spreading the virus. With the most recent surge in cases, it is more important than ever to get tested.

“I don’t see this as giving up my weekend as much as helping out our communities. I’ve been known to be an involved volunteer for my children’s sports and band organizations and prefer to ‘lead by example,’” said Joanna, who has been volunteering since March, even before the vaccinations were available to all eligible residents. “Prior to August 6, Liz and I would trade off on being the Environmental Health Administration (EHA) leads for events. With the surge and my restriction from being on-site, I have been supporting our volunteers by coordinating the calendars and teams for each event. Liz has been the primary onsite EHA lead as well as serving as our DOH Foodbank Coordinator. Credit goes to Liz for all she’s doing for DOH and EHA!”

Compassion and boundless energy drive these two public health professionals. They have been at outreach testing events all over the island, including the Filipino Community Center, Jarrett Middle School, Kamalani Academy, Kapolei High School, Lanakila Health Center, University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu, Wahiawa Civic Center, Windward Mall, and many other locations. Liz has also been at the Aloha Stadium where testing was held.

A Fulfilling Endeavor with Strong Partnerships
“Helping out communities is very fulfilling. People are for the most part appreciative of the free pop-up testing that the Department of Health is doing,” Liz said.

Joanna agrees, “Although they have a long wait, the patients are so appreciative of the work that we’re doing to help them get tested at no cost. They have peace of mind with their ‘point-in-time’ test result that they can take appropriate action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to their friends, families, and co-workers. The pop-up testing team of Hawaii National Guard (HING) and EHA staff have been working well together and filling in where each sees a need for support.

The collaboration has proven to be successful. “Gone are the days of fewer than 50 tests at an event,” Joanna said.

Along the way, the Department of Health is building stronger alliances within the department and with other groups. “DOH is doing the testing in partnership with the Hawaii National Guard, Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Police Department, the Medical Reserve Corps, and others and it is great to meet new people with various interests come together for one common cause. I am also meeting co-workers from other DOH Divisions and Branches,” Liz said.

Practical Advice
Having been on the frontlines at testing sites, these two public health professionals offer practical, life-giving and life-saving advice:

Joanna: A negative result at a community testing event provides you with a point-in-time result that you are clear on the date of the test. Please continue to wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance of six feet apart. We are constantly improving our information-gathering process to move the line as fast as possible so that you can get tested and receive your results. Please bring water, an umbrella, a chair and continue to be patient with us.

Liz: Please get vaccinated first, then get tested secondarily. If we get vaccinated, this alleviates a lot of concerns about getting really sick. Testing is a vital component to combat COVID-19, but getting vaccinated should be the priority.