SRQ Strong Neighborhood Resilience Project

prepared for the 4.21.2020 MHI C19 Community Coalition Zoom Call 

Ulticultural An Epidemiological Approach 

The Community Health Deputy training and deployment approach has been developed and implemented to combat COVID-19 by the Neighborhood Resilience Project in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania under the leadership of Father Paul Abernathy. 

The Concept

Train and empower community members who reflect the values, culture, and history of the community to respond to the pandemic in a way that builds resilience, maintains community health, and counters the spread of the disease by implementing epidemiological protocols on the community level. 

The Immediate Goals 

1.     

Combat COVID-19 (slow the spread) 

2.     

Discover and respond to basic needs 

3.     

Check on mental status and coping ability 

The Overarching Objectives 

1.     

Interrupt the Transmission 

2.     

Prevent the Future Spread 

3.     

Change Community Norms 

The Pittsburgh Implementation:

A network of fourteen Community Health Deputies has been established across medically underserved communities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The deputies have been trained in the epidemiological framework to combat the spread of the disease (to include screening for symptoms of and exposure to COVID-19) and receive on-going coaching. As such, they are prepared to:

Identify BEHAVIORS and INTERVENE to stop them 

·      

“You should wash your hands since you just came off the bus.” 

·      

“Let’s stand farther apart so we don’t share germs.” 

·      

“Remember to sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.” 

Share ACCURATE information and CORRECT MISUNDERSTANDINGS 

·      

“You can still get sick, even if you’re young and healthy.” 

·      

“Paper masks don’t do much to keep you from getting sick - stay home instead.” 

·      

“Here are numbers to call if you think you have the virus.” 

Understand and respond to the needs of the people, including but not limited to food and medicine.

Assess and support the mental health of people in this time of crisis.

Work with a team of staff and volunteers to make sure the most vulnerable receive ongoing telephonic check-ups  

·      

Check up calls are made to community members who are either 60+ or who have serious underlying health issues placing them at high risk for contracting COVID-19. 

·      

Callers assess for signs and symptoms of and exposure to COVID-19; again screen for needs such as food and medicine; and check on the Mental Health of the community member.

Work with other CHDs, staff, volunteers, and people from various agencies to meet community needs for food and other recourses.   

·      

The amount and content of cross-talk between CHDs as they work together to solve community problems is seen as a very important outcome indicator of how well new community norms and relationships are being formed to promote healthy behaviors, spread accurate information, and care for those impacted by the virus.

Components of the 2-hour Training:

·      

Clear, concise, and accessible information on the COVID-19, including what it is, how it spreads, who is most at risk, how to decrease risk of exposure, etc; the concept of “Presencing” and “Purposing;” how to screen and assess; how to do the job of a CHD

·      

Forms: 

o   

Phone Contact Tree 

o   

Neighborhood Map 

o   

Task List 

o   

Neighbor Skills List 

o   

Neighborhood Members List 

o   

Key program leader/coach contacts

Considerations for Local Implementation:

·      

Builds on MHI’s existing place-based, community based collaborative effort 

·      

Lays the foundation for increased micro-community development for the long run

·      

Resources:

o   

Center for Disease Control: COVID-19 information and recommendations 

o   

https://socnetv.org/docs/index.html Social Network Analysis 

o   

International Transformational Resilience Coalition: “Preventing and Healing Pandemic-Generated Mental Health and Psychosocial