Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
  • About Backback to Main menu
    • About
    • Leadership
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • Accreditation
    • Our City
    • Facts and Figures
    • Campus Safety
    • Buildings and Maps
    • Contact Us
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Academics
    • Majors & Programs
    • Class Search
    • Catalogs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Colleges
    • Academic Affairs
    • Online Learning
    • International
    • Library
  • Admissions Backback to Main menu
    • Admissions
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Financial Aid
    • Registrar
    • Visit UNO
    • Request Info
    • Apply
  • Student Life Backback to Main menu
    • Student Life
    • Division of Student Life and Wellbeing
    • Academic & Career Development Center
    • Accessibility
    • Housing & Residence Life
    • Inclusion
    • Service
    • Student Conduct & Community Standards
    • Student Involvement
    • Student Safety
    • Wellness
  • Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Engagement
    • Office of Engagement
    • Campus Resources for Community
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
    • Volunteer and Civic Engagement Programs
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Faculty Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Voter Engagement
    • Community Engagement Partnership Initiative
  • Research Backback to Main menu
    • Research
    • Research News
    • Centers and Institutes
  • Athletics Backback to Main menu
    • Athletics
    • Baxter Arena
    • Omaha Mavericks Website
  • Alumni Backback to Main menu
    • Alumni
    • Transcripts
    • Thompson Center
  1. UNO
  2. News
  3. 2021
  4. 02
  5. Connecting Cases to Curb COVID-19

Connecting Cases to Curb COVID-19

UNO public health students serve as contract tracers, providing an empathetic ear for those dealing with their newfound COVID-19 status. These contact tracers connect cases and keep the UNO campus community safe.

  • published: 2021/02/19
  • contact: University Communications
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu
  • search keywords:
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus
  • COVID-19 Testing
Arissa Bavari

Arissa Bavari

If you are a University of Nebraska at Omaha student, faculty, or staff member who has been in contact with UNO’s Office of Health Security there is good chance you have had a conversation with Arissa Bavari.

Bavari, a UNO public health student, is one of six UNO students who are on the front lines of the university’s COVID-19 contact tracing efforts. They are the calming presence on the other end of a phone call who walk individuals through what to do after a potential COVID-19 exposure. Some of the many questions she fields daily include: “What’s going to happen if I miss a test? Where can I quarantine? What happens if I test positive?”

While hands-on work is valuable in an academic and career sense, providing students with comfort and relief is what Bavari finds most fulfilling.

“Hearing that shift in their voice of ‘now I’m calm, now I’m okay,’” Bavari said. “I like that.”

When a student, faculty, or staff member comes into close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, or have tested positive themselves, they are asked to submit a BRT form, which initiates the contact-tracing process.

Rachael Jensen, who serves as youth safety director for UNO as well as director for UNO’s Office of Health Security, oversees the contact tracing program and understands the positive impact talking to a peer has.

“The contact tracing portion really puts that human perspective in,” Jensen said. “It’s always so nice to talk to students and reassure them that we will support you through this process.”

Each morning, Bavari meets virtually with her fellow student contact tracers, who are assigned a caseload and begin making contact with individuals who submitted BRT forms. If the individual recently tested positive, a contact tracer will coordinate with the student, faculty, or staff member to make arrangements for their health and wellbeing while they isolate, or give recommendations on how to work with supervisors or professors to ensure their teaching, working, and learning moves forward with minimal interruption. If an individual made close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, their assigned contact tracer will will provide information about UNO’s testing center in the Scott Conference Center so they can arrange to receive a COVID-19 test.

For Casey Crary, a public health student and student contact tracer, said some of the most important information she relays to the individuals she interacts with is making sure they understand when to get tested and what it means to quarantine.

“As we have learned in contact tracing, the incubation period can be up to 14 days, so that means it can take anywhere from two to 14 days for the virus to incubate in your system and show up and you are contagious and positive,” Crary said.

COVID-19 Testing Experience

You can schedule an appointment online through the Maverick COVID Response website, a Health Security team member will guide you through the check-in process the day of your appointment.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Follow UNO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

  • News Sections:
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

News Sections

  • News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured Stories

  • Barbara and Wally Weitz Pledge $25 Million to Only in Nebraska Campaign
  • Jeremy Maskel, APR, Joins UNO as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
  • Holding Dandelions
  • The Semester Guide

Related Resources

  • Maverick COVID Response
  • COVID-19 Testing Services & Vaccine Distribution
  • 1-Check UNO

Contact Us

If you have a story idea, news tip, or other question, please email the UNO News team at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About University Communications

  • Next Steps
  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)
  • Just For You
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List
  • Popular Services and Resources
  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • Bookstore
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Affiliates
  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • © 2023  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • MavsReport

Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.

scroll to top of page