Cornell partners with Cuomo administration to develop citizen COVID-19 training

Cornell University developed New York State’s COVID-19 training program alongside the Cuomo administration.

The “Citizen Public Health Leader Training Program” will help trainees address COVID-19 and “public health emergencies of the future.”

“To continue to empower New Yorkers, we are launching a new Citizen Public Health Training where you will learn from top experts from Cornell on preventing and responding to public health emergencies,” says the course description. “This innovative course will help New Yorkers support themselves, their families, and their communities. You will become a leader of health and preparedness in your community.”

Cornell University spokesperson Lindsey Hadlock referred Campus Reform to a Cornell press release, which states that the initiative was developed by Cornell’s Master of Public Health program and will be delivered via eCornell. The program is “designed to give New Yorkers the expertise and tools to take an active role in community-led initiatives surrounding public health improvement, and prevention and response in the event of public health emergencies.”

Upon completion, participants will be designated “NYS Citizen Public Health Leaders” and “will be informed about how they can volunteer in support of their local public health operations.”

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“You have a sphere of influence where people look up to you, where people listen to you, and where people may model your behaviors or your actions,” explained Dr. Gen Meredith in a promotional video on Cuomo’s YouTube channel. “You have a network. Who can you inspire?”

The video also features Cuomo himself announcing the initiative alongside Cornell University. The program will be entirely online and free of charge in order to “certify tens of thousands of citizens all across the state” who will be prepared for “the next public health emergency.”

Later in the video, Cuomo cited the state’s responses to Ebola, Zika, SARS, MERS, and other past epidemics.

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Dr. Amelia Greiner Safi of Cornell University also mentioned in the video that the world is in “completely new territory for the amount of dis and misinformation that is spreading.”

At one point, an animated man is shown smiling with his face mask around his neck. Four angry, masked cartoon characters enter the frame and point at the man in an accusatory fashion, pressuring him to don his mask.

Campus Reform reached out to the Cuomo administration for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft