Designing a First Responders Call Center for a Pandemic

Emergency response to a pandemic requires health care systems to initiate many activities. One of these activities is providing the public with information and guidance about the symptoms and the actions that need to be taken. A dedicated call center should facilitate the public need. Such a call center needs to be carefully designed to protect the call takers from potentially being infected by other staff members. An ad hoc facility has the flexibility to adjust to evolving demands and constraints. This article presents the need, the concerns, and the guidelines used to design such call center during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.