COVID‐19 Public Health Survey Conducted in Long Prairie & Staples Sept 24‐26

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is doing a voluntary, in‐person survey to understand the effect COVID‐19 is having on Minnesota communities. The survey is called a modified Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response, or CASPER survey. A team of MDH workers will be visiting neighborhoods and knocking on doors within the Long Prairie and Staples communities on September 24th ‐ 26th.

The workers will be wearing MDH vests along with name tags to identify themselves as a part of the MDH CASPER team. Their vehicles will have magnets that state “COVID‐19 Survey Team”.

Information learned from the survey will help public health workers, and others who are part of the COVID‐19 response, make decisions that best meet the needs of each community affected by COVID‐19. Through the CASPER survey, we hope to:

• Understand how COVID‐19 has spread in Minnesota communities.

• Understand what caused COVID‐19 to spread in certain areas.

• Explore how COVID‐19 transmission and infection rates differ among regions in Minnesota.

• Identify the percentage of people infected with COVID‐19 that have no symptoms.

• Improve health messaging and help stop COVID‐19 spread.

No one is required to participate in the survey. Participation is voluntary, and you can stop at any point during the survey. If you don't participate in all parts of the survey, the information you do provide will still be included in survey results unless you tell the survey staff you do not want it included. If you tell the survey staff you do not want your information included, answers and test results will not be included in the final

study.

The survey is funded through COVID‐19 Relief Funds approved by the Minnesota legislature to conduct this survey and other studies.

Why participate?

• Free COVID‐19 tests. You and the people you live with get free COVID‐19 tests and learn if you had, or currently have, COVID‐19.

• Add to what is known about COVID‐19. Your information can lead to better understanding of how COVID‐19 is spreading across Minnesota.

• Help stop the spread of COVID‐19. By answering a few questions, you help the health department understand how to improve our safety messaging. Together, we can help stop the pandemic.

• Make your concerns heard. You can talk to the public health worker about how COVID‐19 has affected you and your family as well as any concerns you have about the disease.

More information can be found at: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/casper.html

Minnesota Helpline:

For questions related to the COVID‐19 pandemic, call 651‐297‐1304 or 1‐800‐657‐3504

Mon.‐Fri.: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.