New Health Department hires share their stories

On Nov. 30, two new staff members at the Tompkins County Health Department started their positions, both of which are key roles in the department’s continued COVID-19 response efforts, according to a recent press release.

Claire Espey, director of community health, and Patricia Mason, preparedness coordinator, share a passion for their respective fields and a dedication to helping the community through the pandemic.

Public Health Director Frank Kruppa said in the release that Espey supports the efforts of the department’s nurses and contact tracers, while Mason provides expertise to the department’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution planning.

“We are excited to have Claire and Pat join our team,” Kruppa said in the release. “They both bring experience and perspective that will help us through the pandemic and move our department into the future.”

Mason and Espey’s journeys to their roles began well outside Tompkins County. Espey spent the last 10 years leading public health programming in East Africa, working there on maternal and child health programs and the development of drinking water systems. She completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) at Columbia University and spent four years there as a program coordinator post-graduation, according to the release.

“I understand that we’re interconnected, and it’s a global world, and so, I was looking for a community with which I could strive for change and health equity and social justice,” Espey said. “So, I got my MPH and I joined a program called Global Health Corps. and then entered into international work, first in Burundi with a rural health clinic and then in eastern Congo.”

Espey lived in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven of her 10 years in East Africa. She explained why she stuck with the work for as long as she did.

“I stayed for a number of reasons,” she said. “I stayed because I was part of an amazing team, I was learning every day and because I felt lucky to be a part of a project that had tremendous positive and long-term impacts on people’s lives and also on the water sector more broadly in DRC. So, I wanted to see it through to the end.”

Meanwhile, Mason served most recently as the senior program specialist in the Office of Emergency Management for the city of Aurora, Colorado, a position she held for four years. She worked closely with governments at the national, state and local levels on their respective emergency preparedness plans to ensure the plans’ effectiveness.

Mason has worked in emergency management for over 19 years, and she explained what brought her to that field.

“I started my professional career as a mental health counselor, and during that time, I became a volunteer firefighter, hazmat tech and EMT,” she said. “That path kind of took me into emergency management, and so, I had a complete switch-over from mental health to emergency management.”

When the Tompkins County positions opened earlier this year, both Mason and Espey applied, drawn in by the work and their personal connections to the area.

“After many years outside of the United States, I wanted to come back to the U.S. to settle to be near my family,” Espey said. “My dad grew up in Elmira, New York, and I have friends in Ithaca, so it’s a beautiful place with a strong sense of community, and that appealed to me. Also, I worked in private sector and in nonprofits for my career, and I wanted to get the experience working in the public sector.”

Mason described a similar experience applying for her position, referencing her military son as a big reason for the move.

“I was looking for a position where I would be a little closer to my children again because my son that was in Colorado is now in Fort Drum up in Cartridge,” she said. “I was kind of watching the jobs, and this one came up. And I’ve worked very closely with public health all through my emergency management career. So, I saw it, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to apply for that.’”

Both Mason and Espey shared how their past experiences will help them in their new roles. For Mason, her past experience taught her the importance of communication, something she’s incorporated into her leadership style.

“I’m supportive, and I like to communicate because sometimes, you may not know the path or the direction that’s needed,” she said. “To be able to communicate and have people feel comfortable asking you questions, I think, is important. But the being supportive is key.”

For Espey, she was in Eastern DRC when the Ebola epidemic hit the region about two years ago, and her experience through that plays a big role in her approach to her new position.

“I knew that I could and I should expect the unexpected, that it would be more likely to be more difficult and take longer than we would think that it should take to end the [COVID-19] pandemic. That’s a lesson I’ve learned from Ebola,” she said. “The greatest chance that we have to end the pandemic swiftly requires collaborative, trusting relationships and two-way communication between the community … population and the institutions that are providing basic essential services.”

Mason and Espey both said that they were pleased to see that Tompkins County recognized the importance of collaboration and communication in battling the pandemic.

“I was pleasantly surprised when I got here because people are working on this COVID pandemic problem from all departments,” Mason said. “It’s not just public health; it’s not just nurses. … Everybody is pitching in and is willing to learn and to help in whatever way they can.”

Espey expressed a similar sentiment, adding that communication with the community will be crucial for the rest of 2020 and heading into 2021.

“It’s … important to ensure that we’re taking full advantage of all of the resources within the local community, within Tompkins County and ensuring that there is ownership and trust and open communication in order to see the response through various phases, including the vaccine,” she said.

Mason and Espey said they’re still learning the ins and outs of their new positions but are looking forward to the work that lies ahead of them. Mason shared some advice for residents for the rest of 2020.

“Wear your face coverings and wash your hands and social distancing,” she said. “We saw the uptick after Thanksgiving, and with Christmas coming up, just do small celebrations with families in your household and do Zoom meetings with everybody else. And just spread your love and joy that way.”

Espey also shared her hopes for when COVID-19 is eventually behind us, focusing on some of the department’s other programs like those related to maternal health and non-COVID-19 illnesses.

“I hope that we can pay more attention and continue to build from the great programs that are already in place with the Community Health Division at the Department of Health,” Espey said. “All of those programs are deserving of attention. And I think my priority is also to ensure that we’re able to keep those on track and ensure that when we reinvigorate that process after COVID that we’re able to sort of build back stronger and better.”

In addition to Mason and Espey, the Health Department is also recruiting for two community health nurses. The job description can be found at tompkinscivilservice.org/civilservice/post/5817. Applications are due by Jan. 4 and can be submitted through the Tompkins County Human Resources website, tompkinscivilservice.org/civilservice/vacancies.

For more information, call the Health Department at 607-274-6600 or visit its website at tompkinscountyny.gov/health.