Shelby Co. launches portal for 141 new jobs with health department expansion

By WMCActionNews5.com Staff | May 19, 2020 at 9:19 AM CDT - Updated May 19 at 9:54 AM

SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. (WMC) - The Shelby County Government is looking to hire more than 100 people with the expansion of the health department.

On Monday, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners approved the expansion for the COVID-19 response.

The health department will hire 141 new employees. Which include administrative staff, strike teams, epidemiologists, nurses, case investigators, enforcement and compliance investigators, data entry and training personnel, testing teams, and more.

“Broadening our public health capacity is an essential part of our strategy to help prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus in Shelby County. This expansion is an enormous task, and that’s why we are grateful to our Commissioners for moving this task forward.”

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris

“I would like to thank the Shelby County Board of Commissioners for supporting this expansion. The health department is fully committed to responding to the current public health crisis occurring in our communities; however, we know that our current staffing capacity is limited. The purpose of this expansion is to add needed support, which will allow us to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of all in Shelby County.”

Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter

“In preparation for the COVID-19 response ramp up, the human resources department has partnered closely with the health department to; identify recruitment sources, establish interview teams, and develop a project plan to ensure effective and efficient staffing of these critical positions.”

Shelby County Human Resources Administrator Steven Massie

The Shelby County Health Department has also been working to hire contact tracers. They track someone infected with a disease and who they have come in contact with, in this case the disease is COVID-19.