County Official โฃRaises Concernsโ Over Stateโค Contact Tracing Program
Cuyahoga County, Ohio – November 13, 2024 – A top Cuyahoga โคCounty official is sounding the alarm about a new state-run contact tracing program,โ expressing โคconcerns over data privacy and the potential for inaccurate information. County Council president Matt Sczesny warned residents on November 12, 2024, about the program, urging cautionโ when interacting withโค state health officials.
The Ohio โคDepartment of Health launched the program earlier โthis month to bolster โefforts in tracking โand containing the spread of infectious diseases. Sczesny’s โapprehension stems from reports of aggressive outreach tactics and โquestionsโข surrounding the security of personal health data collected during the tracing process. He emphasized the importance โขof verifying the identity of anyone requesting health information and advised residents toโค independently confirm any โpositiveโข test results with thier healthcare provider.
“I’ve received reports โof individuals being contacted very aggressively, and โขfrankly, it’s โconcerning,” Sczesny stated. “People are understandably anxious, and we need to ensure this program is being implemented responsiblyโค and with respect for individual privacy.”
The program relies on interviews with individuals who have tested positive for a disease โฃto identify and notify thoseโข they may have exposed. While contact tracing is a long-established public health practice, the scale and methods employed by theโ state’sโ new program have raised eyebrows amongโค local officials. Sczesny’s office has been inundated with calls from constituents โreporting confusing orโค intimidating interactions with contact tracers.
The Ohio Department of Health hasโ not yet responded to โrequests for comment regarding the concerns raised by Sczesny. However, aโข statement on the department’s websiteโค asserts that all data collectedโค is handledโ in accordance withโค HIPAA regulations and is usedโ solelyโ for public health purposes.