Feature
Photos by Kayla Lasure
Jennifer Greene
Leading the High Country Through a Pandemic When Jen Greene entered the public health field, she never thought she would be confronted with an issue of the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is the longest response we’ve ever been in,” Jen says. “I know people are tired. We know we have a long way to go, but we need to lean into supporting each other.” Jen is the health director at AppHealthCare and has served as the ringleader for the local response during the pandemic. AppHealthCare is the health department for Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties, with about 95 staff members. During the pandemic response, Jen says the AppHealthCare leadership team participates in a daily huddle to plan response efforts and to troubleshoot differ16 | July-August 2020
ent issues. The rest of her day is packed with research and study of data and conducting Zoom meetings and phone calls with community partner groups and elected officials. She estimated that she met with 12 groups or so regularly to discuss the pandemic response and answer questions that locals may have. Jen also participates in a statewide contact tracing team that meets routinely throughout the week. She says the team is a collaborative group of representatives helping to inform the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on contact tracing response for COVID-19. Jen and her staff on average have worked more than 50 hours a week during the pandemic. She says the agency is trying to give its frontline staff a day off if they have to work during the
weekend. “Some staff have been working consistently,” Jen says. “I hope it’ll get better soon since we now have some funds to hire more people to assist.” Boone Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO David Jackson said the last few months have certainly put more spotlight on Jen and the AppHealthCare team. He says the agency’s staff has been proactive in seeking ways to find answers to the difficult questions the community has faced. “As we brought things to (Jen) about business operations very early in the response, she was eager to do the best she could to provide help, knowing people were dealing with unforeseen challenges and obstacles,” David says. “It’s clear she cares deeply about the community she aawmag.com
