Trenton Forms Beat-COVID Task Force

Trenton, N.J. – Mayor W. Reed Gusciora, the Trenton Civic Trust, and The Citizens Campaign today announced the formation of the Trenton Beat-COVID Task Force, a partnership of city officials, policy experts, and volunteers that will distribute easy to follow instructions to residents and businesses on how to avoid infection while resuming public life.

The Task Force will ensure that health protocols, indexed for daily activities and incorporating best infection prevention health practices, will be communicated by major Trenton organizations, including the School District, Capital Health and others, to all residents and businesses in a consistent and reinforcing manner. The health protocols have been reviewed and approved by Stanley Weiss, M.D., Professor. Dept of Epidemiology, School of Public Health at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and The Citizens Campaign Medical Advisor. The resources are available online in English and Spanish at |https://thecitizenscampaign.org/beat-covid-webpage/.

The Task Force will also distribute Beat-Covid masks to high school security officers, crossing guards and principals so they can set an example for students who may be reluctant to wear them. The masks, which have been provided by The Citizen’s Campaign, will be adorned with the Trenton High School mascot.  In addition, the Task Force will recruit community volunteers for other tasks essential to limiting new infections and returning to public life, such as serving as connectors between contract tracers and the community to increase the penetration and effectiveness of tracing efforts.

The Task Force is comprised of Mayor Gusciora; Ronald Lee, Superintendent of Schools; Yvette Graffie-Cooper, Trenton Health Officer; Ben Delisle, Director of Housing and Economic Development; Dr. Eric Schwartz, Executive Director, Capital Health; and Bishop Sidney and Dr. Shirley Gaines, Trenton Civic Trustees. Assisting the Task Force are mayoral aides, Rick Kavin and Ericka Pressley, as well as Capital Health’s Gina Mumolie.

“As we reopen our city for business and reclaim our public lives, we must ensure we do so safely, ” said Mayor Gusciora. “The Trenton Beat-COVID Task Force will help supply all our residents, businesses, schools and non-profit organizations with the most up-to-date and user-friendly instructions on how to stay healthy as we emerge from this crisis.”

Trenton Civic Trustee Bishop Sidney Gaines said, “Trenton’s Civic Trustees look forward to working with the Task Force to enlist community residents in the essential tasks required to beat COVID-19.” The Trenton Civic Trust is comprised of two dozen volunteer Civic Trustees who work together to identify cost-effective, evidence-based solutions to the major challenges facing their city.

Background:

Civic Trusts, facilitated by The Citizens Campaign, work with city officials in Trenton, Newark, Paterson, Philadelphia, Plainfield and Perth Amboy to enlist city residents in a strong, community-based coronavirus response. These plans rely on local know-how, community resources and community spirit to ensure a safe return to public life. They build on state plans and the city-level responses already underway. The Beat-Covid campaign will also work to ensure adequate testing and tracing resources are allocated to urban areas by the State.

The Citizens Campaign is a volunteer community of problem solvers – government law and policy experts, civic-minded business leaders, citizen journalists, civic leaders, students, teachers, veterans and more – dedicated to helping citizens maximize their political power and developing responsible leadership training in No-Blame Problem Solving. They are currently building a new citizen-driven and community-based National Public Service from the bottom up.

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