Marc R. Pappas | Senior adviser and chief COVID administrator, R.I. Office of the Governor
1. How does your role as chief COVID administrator differ from your previous role as director of the R.I. Emergency Management Agency? As director of the Emergency Management Agency, I [focused] on coordinating response across state government to make sure that everyone is working in sync. In my current role … I am working directly in the governor’s office, still overseeing the coordination between all the government agencies involved with the COVID-19 response.
2. What has it been like working with businesses and COVID-19 testing to strengthen Rhode Island’s pandemic response? We ramped up our test kit distribution – handing out 1 million tests in the month of January, with plans to hand out 1 million more each month through March – but it was clear we needed to keep up with the demand to process those tests. That is why the governor worked to increase our capacity by bringing on new lab sites or expanding existing ones.
3. What difference has the National Guard made in assisting hospitals that have faced staffing crises? Governor McKee announced earlier this month that the National Guard would deploy about 60 Guard members to Butler Hospital as part of an initial strategy to increase capacity and relieve pressure on other hospital emergency departments. Other hospitals can then send noncritical care patients to Butler and free up more beds at their facilities.
4. What kind of cooperation and coordination have you done with local businesses and nonprofits during the state’s COVID-19 response? Businesses have hosted vaccination clinics to bolster our efforts to get shots in arms. Nonprofits have also had a huge impact on our communities. They provide direct service programs … [such as] housing and homelessness prevention, behavioral health services and job training to Rhode Islanders in need.
5. Prior to your work in state government, you worked for the Pawtucket police and then for a security firm. How did you make that transition and how do you compare the kind of work you’re doing now with your past career in policing? I’ve always enjoyed my career in public service. In my current role … I often draw upon my emergency response experience to keep state agencies organized and coordinated. Everyone has to work in sync and in support of the governor and RIDOH [R.I. Department of Health]. Things are constantly changing, so it’s important that we all stay on the same page.
Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com.
