Firm provides pro bono legal counsel to global health nonprofit on groundbreaking initiative to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

On April 3, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced the launch of the Massachusetts COVID-19 Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC), a new initiative to accelerate the state’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 and dramatically increase the state’s capacity for contact tracing through an innovative collaboration with Boston-based global health nonprofit Partners In Health (PIH). An interdisciplinary team of Mintz attorneys worked closely with PIH on a pro bono basis to bring this program to Massachusetts. 

The CTC is a partnership of four groups including the Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center, Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and PIH. The collaboration is designed to not just flatten the curve, but bend the curve downward to more rapidly reduce the number of cases in Massachusetts.

To support the CTC’s goals, PIH will be hiring, training, and deploying hundreds of workers who will call individuals who have been in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients in order to stop the spread of the virus and provide social support to those who may need to self-isolate or quarantine.

“Mintz is pleased to have been able to assist PIH in its efforts to change the course of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth,” said Mintz Member Ellen Janos. “It has been deeply rewarding to work on such a critically important project.”

The Mintz team that advised PIH included Members Dianne Bourque (Health), Elissa Flynn-Poppey (Chair, Government Law Practice), Ellen Janos (Health), Julie Korostoff (Chair, IT Transactions & Outsourcing Practice), Andrew Matzkin (Employment), and Associate Daniel Marden (Corporate).