166: Carolyn Bazik

Co-County Wellness

Executive Director of Co-County Wellness Services, Carolyn Bazik worked through the shut down to provide services to her clients. The mission of Co-County Wellness Services is to improve the public health of the community through education, service, and advocacy. She is very proud of her team for working through a very difficult time. Most  of her staff has been with her for 20 years or more. 

Co-County Wellness Services provide sexual public health information and services as well as general public health information and services. During covid, they established a contact tracing program beginning in June. Temp workers and social worker interns were added to the regular staff to work remotely to provide contact tracing. Co-county Wellness is also a call center for people who don’t have technology to make appointments. Often these were elderly people who were overwhelmed about what to do to get a covid vaccine. 

Carolyn explained that the mission of Co-county Wellness has evolved according to what the community needs. It began as Berks Aid Network and now has added the new spectrum of services including covid services. Carolyn feels food safety, water safety, and other needs in the community need to be addressed as well. 

Presently, her team is reaching out to those who have vaccine hesitancy and encouraging them to get the vaccine. This involves listening and understanding why people are hesitant. She is concerned and believes we still need to be vigilant and very careful.

She has found that the clients she serves are often very grateful for the services provided and very grateful to be heard. She knew many people who had covid and was one of those people. She experienced high fever, body aches, and  fatigue for two weeks. She feels very blessed that she is healthy again and is very grateful for all she has. 

Her wish for the future is for the development of a local public health department.