Oral history interview with Eve Dolkart

Oral history interview with Eve Dolkart

Eve Dolkart discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted her both personally and professionally. She recalls celebrating her wedding in Guatemala in February 2020 and returning to her home in Burlington, Vermont, at the very outset of the pandemic. She also describes the changes at her job with the Economic Services Division of the State of Vermont, including the transition to remote work and how a change in regulations meant more unhoused people became qualified for housing. In November 2020, Dolkart chose to switch jobs and joined the Vermont Department of Health in a communications role. She shares her experiences at the health department in the period right before the vaccine rollout and explains her responsibilities, particularly coordination of virtual information gatherings and connecting various groups with vaccine experts. She notes the effect of widespread misinformation about COVID and the vaccines, especially focused on fertility. However, she also speaks about successes such as the high numbers of BIPOC Vermonters that were vaccinated and the state's recognition of BIPOC multi-generational households as a specific vaccine group. She also references the discussions about racism in public health, which were ongoing at that time.

Eve Dolkart moved to Burlington, Vermont, around 2017. She worked as a program officer for Food 4 Farmers in 2017-2018 and then began employment with the State of Vermont. She was a benefits program specialist in the Economic Services Division from October 2018 to November 2020 and joined the Vermont Department of Health in November 2020. Her roles at the health department included media coordinator (November 2020-July 2022) and health equity lead for the Division of Lab Sciences and Infectious Disease (starting in July 2022).

Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-251676-OMS-22.

2023-08-18

Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project

AudioFileCOVID-020

MP3

WAV

Audio file

Permission to publish material from the Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project may be obtained from the Vermont Historical Society.

Wingerson, Amber

Dolkart, Eve

53 min., 14 sec.

Vermont Historical Society Library, 60 Washington Street, Barre, VT 05641-4215