Community Involvement in Pandemic Response
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in countless individuals being confused, scared, financially strained, and resource depleted. In response to this, the Washtenaw County Health Department (WCHD) has provided health and social services to cushion the negative impact of the pandemic. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, WCHD distributed personal protection equipment (PPE), conducted COVID-19 contract tracing and case investigation, and provided COVID-19 vaccinations. Simultaneously, they worked to provide essential resources (food, clothes, financial aid, etc.) to as many Washtenaw County residents in need as possible. None of this would have been possible without the help of over 800 volunteers who have provided support to WCHD during the pandemic response!
At the start of the pandemic, there were many uncertainties regarding COVID-19; however the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) kept reiterating the importance of washing hands, physical distancing, and wearing a mask to keep each other safe. Eventually, the fear of COVID-19 resulted in large supply shortages that impacted both community members and healthcare professionals. Kim Collom, Health Educator with WCHD, and her colleagues at WCHD developed a PPE request process to help fill the supply gap during the critical shortage. Through this process, businesses and individuals were able to request PPE on the WCHD website, or via phone, and arrange to pick it up or have it delivered directly to them. This process also allocated and distributed N95 masks, gowns, gloves, etc. to healthcare professionals, such as long-term care providers. So far, WCHD has been able to distribute PPE to over 100 community partners and providers, including the distribution of over 1,000 cloth masks. WCHD also distributed over 20 Stay Safe Business Kits to small businesses!
Success of the PPE distribution was due to community efforts at large. As dental practices were temporarily halting their cosmetic dental services, many of them decided to donate their PPE to hospital providers in need of supplies. Additionally, residents graciously donated homemade masks to WCHD. Furthermore, Dexter DIY Masks emerged as a group of community residents banded together to create handmade cloth masks for WCHD distribution (see images below). In total, WCHD received over 1,500 donated handmade cloth masks from the community. Community volunteers pitched in and helped with PPE sorting and distribution.
As the pandemic evolved, more residents needed to quarantine and isolate to protect others from contracting COVID-19. Although this was a great preventive measure, it left many residents in need of extra resources and in a state of fear. Through contact tracing and case investigation, WCHD was able to help contain the spread of COVID-19 and assess the needs of exposed and infected individuals. For residents who could not safely isolate at home, WCHD provided temporary housing in a local hotel. Individuals who did not have enough essential supplies (food, thermometers, personal care supplies, etc.) at home to last through their quarantine or isolation period could have these supplies delivered directly to them. With the help of WCHD staff and volunteer distribution, WCHD was able to deliver over 500 meals and 200 thermometers for residents in quarantine and isolation. Additionally, many residents donated clothing, personal care supplies, books and activities which were also delivered to those in isolation and quarantine. These efforts helped yield a high compliance rate with quarantine and isolation, which in turn, helped minimize the spread of COVID-19.
As the pandemic continued, it left many individuals financially and medically strained. WCHD was able to coordinate resources with community partners such as Food Gatherers, the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, and the Hope Clinic to provide essential medical and social services for those in need. In partnership with Food Gathers and community volunteers, WCHD delivered 242 emergency food boxes to residents. WCHD worked with community partners to connect many individuals to rent and homeowner resources, medical and mental health services, and safety net programs that provided food, diapers, warm clothing, cleaning supplies, etc.
As stated previously, WCHD would not have been able to aid as many residents as they did without the aid of all the amazing volunteers. Countless volunteers dedicated their time, labor, and knowledge to pandemic response efforts.
A large majority of the volunteers came from the Washtenaw County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). The MRC was established in 2009 and is a volunteer organization comprised of medical and non-medical volunteers. These volunteers help support the existing public health infrastructure during an emergency, as well as during other community events. In the beginning of 2020, the Washtenaw County MRC consisted of only 49 members, and it has now grown to over 450 members! This highlights the level of dedication that residents have for volunteering during times of crises. MRC Volunteers contributed over 450 hours to pandemic response efforts in 2020.
However, MRC was not the only source of volunteer aid. Other volunteers came from the Michigan Volunteer Registry and the general community. The MI Volunteer Registry is managed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and is comprised of volunteers of all skill levels and experiences. The volunteers help support a public health or medical emergency response. Community members also volunteered for specific roles and events with their varying skills and experiences. For example, volunteers from Mexiquenses en Michigan served as interpreters for Spanish-speaking residents at clinics. Many volunteers donated a lot of their personal time and helped at various events; 26 volunteers worked more than 15 COVID-19 vaccination clinics in 2021.
All groups of dedicated volunteers were instrumental in WCHD’s pandemic response. Therefore, while the COVID-19 pandemic presented various challenges, communities banned together and helped one another through these dark times.
If you are interested in volunteering with WCHD, please check out WCHD volunteer page. Please note that due to an overwhelming interest in volunteering with Washtenaw County Medical Reserve Corps, MRC is no longer accepting new applicants at this time. However, there are other avenues for volunteer efforts located on the website.
For more information regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 resources provided by WCHD, please check out the WCHD website.
September 2021
Written by Guadalupe Cervantes, Community Health Educator with WCHD