In 2018, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) began supporting hurricane crisis relief projects in the U.S Virgin Islands through a cooperative agreement with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CSTE provided expedited procurement of technical expertise in applied epidemiology by hiring contractors to provide surge capacity to the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health in the aftermath of the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria to address emerging and ongoing surveillance and epidemiology needs. Gabrielle Bailey – a USVI native – is one of the contractors hired through this funding mechanism. Gabrielle supports the USVI HIV/STD Surveillance team by establishing guidance for data collection, management, and reporting of STD/HIV cases throughout the territory.

Prior to moving back home for this position, Gabrielle served as a Clinical Research Associate for Emory’s Department of Pediatrics, working on data input, collection, and organization for various ongoing pediatric hepatology clinical trials. Gabrielle is passionate about utilizing current technology and software to further advance data culture and science for the purpose of informed health policy decisions. CSTE reached out to Gabrielle for a firsthand account of her work in the USVI, and its ongoing surveillance and epidemiological needs.

Aerial view of the U.S. Virgin Islands (photo credit: Gabrielle Bailey).

 

Work Life in the USVI

Community and culture are just a few words that come to mind when I think of my unique experience of working as a Data Entry Technician in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I start most mornings with a freshly brewed bush tea paired with a warm saltfish pate from the local food van across from the office. My lifestyle is utterly different from when I think back on my time in the States, but I would argue significantly for the better. My desire for a greater sense of community is essentially what brought me back home to the USVI.

It doesn’t take long to observe that the Virgin Islands' social and community context plays a significant role in the ways individuals conceptualize their own health, access to health care, and varying health needs. With a total population of around 107,000, our community's small size lends to closer connections with fellow colleagues and stakeholders. In my one year at the Department of Health, I’ve had the privilege to expand my role outside of the confines of data analytics by extending it to meet additional needs for the overall mission of the Communicable Disease Division. There is no room for a cognitive disconnect between the numerical data and the everyday people here, not when you can directly see how the work conducted impacts individuals of the community.

On numerous occasions, I have gone to the local jail and university to assist HIV testing and education. I have held intriguing conversations with individuals at outreach events that aim to break down the substantial barrier of HIV stigma and the dangerous misconceptions surrounding HIV/STDs that are quite common in Caribbean culture. In beaming 85-degree heat, I have walked the steep hills of Savan and throughout the entirety of Frenchtown for hours to help conduct survey-based interviews (CASPER Study) to analyze the public health needs of VI residents before and after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. I will never forget sitting down in the house of a woman who broke down in tears as she recalled the horrors of two category 5 hurricanes, and the great pride she experienced as the community banded together to support each other afterward. She opened her home for months after the hurricane to help provide food, coffee, shelter, and emotional support to anyone in need. These kinds of interactions speak volumes to the type of resiliency and kindness that exists here in the Virgin Islands. I myself have accepted the type of anxiety that comes with living in an area vulnerable to devastating hurricanes.

The travel required for this job is undoubtedly one of my favorite aspects of my role in the USVI. It is common to find me commuting between the islands for work. I never get used to the extraordinary ocean and landscape views I witness while traveling by sea plane to St. Croix or taking the ferry across to St. John. There is something truly special about starting your workday hundreds of feet above the blue Caribbean Sea while gazing at white coral sand shorelines. Several of these trips have focused on promoting reporting activities for HIV/STD surveillance in the territory. Through these opportunities, I have been given a chance to work directly with health care providers to improve accurate case reporting activities, sit in on trainings that advance HIV/AIDS knowledge, and conduct active HIV/STD surveillance.

I want to be clear that work in the Virgin Islands isn’t at all beaches and rainbows. There is a lot of hard work still to be done in the territory, as government agencies work to catch up to several of the technological advancements, well-established policy infrastructure, and clear protocol transparency already adapted in several states. As a millennial, I often see how old-fashioned tactics overcomplicate certain tasks. I would also be remiss if I failed to acknowledge that COVID-19 has transformed life in the Virgin Islands. The DOH has been working tirelessly to address the demanding needs that result from this worldwide pandemic. When COVID hit our shores, I was proud of how several colleagues signed up to be on the front lines and assist with the efforts. Although there is no end in sight to the pandemic, one thing stands for sure: The Virgin Islands will band together to ensure that we get through this difficult season with compassion and kindness. I am confident that this territory can overcome all types of hurdles, whether environmental, political, or public health related.