Policy and Practice | June 2021

Designing Empathetic and Inclusive Health

and Human Services Putting resident needs and perspectives at the center of Rhode Island’s COVID-19 response

n the fall of 2020, the State of Rhode Island was struggling with a situation shared across states: rising COVID-19 case volumes, fatigued residents, and increasingly evident health inequities. The state had been swift to take centralized action to combat the pandemic with widespread campaigns, mandates, and newly established resident services. They could pinpoint risky behaviors, including social activities and settings associated with spread. The data and ana- lytics were increasingly clear, but a broader question emerged: what motivated risky behaviors? How could the state better reach those individuals at greatest risk of becoming either gravely ill or a super-spreader in vulnerable communities? After moving at breakneck speed since By Melissa Geissler and Gorham Palmer I

pandemic onset, the state realized it needed to understand more about resi- dents’ unmet needs and perceptions. They needed a new lens to consider interventions around topics like contact tracing, case investigation, testing, quarantine, and isolation. They wanted to hear directly from Rhode Islanders working in their stores and factories, attending their universities, teaching in their schools, and living in high-density communities. These residents’ perspectives would lend valuable insight into the reframing of critical interventions and opportunities to better control the spread.

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Policy&Practice June 2021