Amanda Ervin Recognized as a Public Health All-Star

From HHS:

Clinical Services Administrative Coordinator, Amanda Ervin, was recognized as a Public Health All-Star at the North Carolina Public Health Association conference in late April. The All-Star award is reserved for the people within North Carolina agencies who epitomizes what it means to be a Public Health professional and a public servant. Amanda is a great example of diligent service, optimism, and flexibility. “Without Amanda’s leadership, our CoVID-19 response would not have been as well supported in the administrative arm,” writes Buncombe County Public Health Director, Stacie Saunders, in Amanda’s nomination letter. “While many focus on the community-facing operations like testing and vaccine, those functions are only successful because of people like her, behind the scenes, making things run smoothly.”

Prior to the COVID-19 response, Amanda supervised the clinical administrative staff. Her job description changed drastically when COVID-19 hit Buncombe County, a challenge to which she quickly adapted. During the pandemic, (and in addition to her typical responsibilities), Amanda was tasked with managing two teams that were invaluable to our COVID-19 response- the Buncombe County Ready Team and surge capacity staff. 

Buncombe County Ready Team

The Buncombe County Ready Team acted as a call center and information hub for Buncombe residents who had COVID-19-related questions. This team was required to stay informed on all stay-at-home orders, public health guidance, and government mandates related to COVID-19 and relay that information to residents who either called in or emailed. Amanda recommended a tracking system for all calls and emails that allowed us to quantify what topics our residents were asking about most. This information was used to inform topics covered in our communications response including press conferences, virtual webinars, website design and content, and community engagement. The Ready Team was essential to reducing the impact of COVID-19 in Buncombe County and ensuring that our community got the information they needed in a timely manner.

Surge Capacity Staff

Surge capacity staff are temporary employees contracted to provide direct and administrative services that support the COVID-19 response efforts. Surge capacity staff were used at community testing and vaccination sites and in our clinic. Amanda was responsible for placing, training, scheduling, and managing the hundreds of temporary staff onboarded during the pandemic. Her responsive leadership and strong organizational skills fostered a sense of purpose and gratitude in her teams.

Congratulations, Amanda. We are so grateful to have you on the BCHHS Team!