County pledges probe into health worker's coronavirus death

Officials in a Maryland county say they “will spare no time or expense” investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a veteran public health worker who died of COVID-19 after relatives and coworkers believe she contracted the virus on the job.

The probe follows a story by Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press two weeks ago focusing on the worker, Chantee Mack, a 44-year-old disease intervention specialist at the Prince George’s County Health Department who union officials said was among at least 20 department employees infected by the coronavirus. The outbreak underscores the stark dangers facing the nation’s front-line public health army, the subject of an ongoing series by KHN and the AP, “Underfunded and Under Threat.”

Mack’s coworker Rhonda Wallace, leader of a local branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said she and others from the union met with two county council members shortly after the stories ran, then was told about the investigation after a separate meeting among county council members and officials.

“Your article started everything,” Wallace said in an interview this week.

County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Health Officer Dr. Ernest Carter discussed the need for a probe at a coronavirus news conference on July 30.

“Ms. Mack’s death hurt all of us. It is the worst-case scenario that we would lose one of our employees who was there courageously working to save lives. ... We believe that it deserves an investigation,” Alsobrooks said. “I want to know what happened.”

She said the county would “spare no time or expense” finding out what led to Mack’s illness and death and “if there are things we should adjust, we absolutely will do it.”

Mack, who worked in the...