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Column:Local officials discuss how they're leading Orange County through crisis-The Daily Tar Heel Stewart: As the county health director, I promote public health and prevention activities. I'm also charged with communicable disease control. This requires my team and I to investigate cases and outbreaks and to implement control measures to slow the spread of the disease. EDITORS PICKS kiihL I k Survey: We're looking to Heel Talk Episode 21: 'Making history': UNC's hear from those who have Sports in the pandemic Asian American Center lived in Chapel Hill public officially opens after 25 housing years of work Jeffries: The key words are "working together." Our teams have different missions, and the two of us communicate frequently to assure our teams have the support they need. My team's role is to ensure the safety of residents and responders and the continuity of services. We connect all the response partners and agencies so they complement each other and avoid duplicating efforts. We are also the county's connection to state and federal assistance. Seils: How is Orange County different from or similar to other communities in North Carolina when it comes to the pandemic response? Stewart: Orange County has a diverse population. We must be mindful of language and other cultural differences as we share public health messages. We are also home to the UNC System's largest school, which means we have a robust college town. Like other communities across the country, ours is concerned about economic stability and the social norms that have been affected during this unprecedented time. Our differences afford us the opportunity to be creative and innovative in our approaches as we work on our common goal of suppressing the virus. Jeffries: Orange County is fortunate to have the resources we have and the support of government leaders and partners. I think every community has unique challenges, but I strongly believe every community is recognizing how dependent we are on one another. The pandemic has challenged my team to be creative and flexible while continuing to provide the excellent service the community has grown to expect. Seils: We're six months into the state of emergency. What are the most important things residents can do now? https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2020/09/city-oc-column-damon-0914[9/15/20, 10:47:03 AM]