Professionally speaking, Lisa GreenMills, '08 is in a COVID-19 hot spot. Up until two years ago she was Project Coordinator at Syracuse Healthy Start, a program which supports pregnant women and new families with outreach, case management, health education, and community connections. In 2018 her responsibilities grew exponentially when she became Director of Disease Control for Onondaga County Health Department. Six months ago, the COVID-19 pandemic took over her professional life. "We were watching it spread overseas. When we were starting to get it here, we were watching and waiting. What's unique is that there was a lot of learning as you go. There was a lot coming at you, not just day to day but sometimes hour to hour."
GreenMills had her team in place and had been working with the State on several precautionary measures. She knew the arrival of the virus wasn't a matter of if, but when. "Our first case came on a Monday and over the next few days they poured in. We knew the rate was gong to be rapid." She and her team were both entrenched in the on-the-ground contact tracing while constantly monitoring any changes in policies and protocols. "We found out when things were shutting down at the same time as everyone else. When I got the call my son's school was closing I had to coordinate care for him. We just tried to remain fluid like everyone else."
The day-to-day work became very challenging for GreenMills and her staff. Working long hours with people impacted by the virus tested them, but they rose to the challenge. "The team was amazing at adapting from the nursing homes, to the work places, and now with schools. People in the community are taking this seriously and it's made the work that much more rewarding."
Staffing plans and contact tracing strategies now center around schools, colleges, and universities. As Onondaga County residents plan to juggle staggered school schedules with work requirements, so too are members of GreenMills' team. "It's a new challenge for us and one that we will be living with every day. As we take care of our own families, we are also working with school districts and the County Executive's office to gather and maintain data which will allow us to make the best decisions possible."
As GreenMills has navigated through the pandemic she has also reflected on her time at Onondaga Community College and how it prepared her for this moment. "The work I did as a student leader there served as a strong framework to research, organize, and follow through on projects that were smaller in scope. Those skills stayed with me." As a leader, the work she's seen colleagues do at all levels of government has been very rewarding. "Not only my team, but the entire Health Department has been amazing. Staff was brought in from different areas because the need was so high, and everyone jumped in and went to work - it was amazing to see and be a part of and I could not be prouder of the work we've done."
As COVID-19 numbers remain low in Onondaga County and Central New York, GreenMills hopes all citizens continue to respect the seriousness of the virus and stay vigilant. "Don't fall asleep at the wheel. Things are reopening and we are seeing signs of normalcy, but we are seeing this because people are wearing masks and not taking part in large gatherings. If we want to maintain this success, we need to maintain our awareness and commitment to what is working."
