March 23rd CHIP Update

Dear Community Partners and Key Stakeholders,

We are reaching out to you as important contributors to our community's response to COVID-19.

This is an unprecedented time.  We are so grateful for all of the work you are doing to support individuals and families in our community! 

We wanted to share with you a few resources that may be helpful AND seek your assistance in promoting them:

1.  United Way of Asheville Buncombe County is now hosting information about community resources that will be updated regularly by United Way's 211.  100 individuals, including community organizations, are working diligently to identify up to date resources that are safely serving our community.  If you know of resources that should be added please contact 211info@unitedwayabc.org. 

2. Hands On Asheville-Buncombe is coordinating volunteers to support our community's response.  You can register your volunteer needs and sign up to volunteer here.

3.  Frameworks Institute has developed a resource to guide us in common language during this time of crisis:

• Connect individual action to the common good by using a broad 'us.'            "When we wash our hands and keep our distance, we protect everyone in our community.  Let's come together by staying apart."
• Make an explicit moral argument for addressing specific populations' needs."The right thing to do is ensure we all have what we need to be well - regardless ofhow we earn a living or how much we make. People already pushed to the brink bylow wages and high housing costs will be most affected by this virus and an economic slowdown.  This is the time to live up to our ideal of justice for all."
• Look for opportunities to talk about the positive aspects of interconnection.      "We're being reminded just how connected we all are - and how much we depend onone another. And it's not just the spread of the virus. For everyone who works fromhome, there are many more who make that possible by working at the hospital, thepower plant, the grocery store, the delivery service. This moment shows us how much we all need each other to keep going."

Opportunities to Support Each Other's Work AND Our Community:
Many of our partners are engaging in advocacy efforts across the community and state.  You'll continue to find these on our Engage Page. If you wish to share opportunities let us know.  Don't forget that you can share these on our Facebook Page.

Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County is promoting an opportunity to prioritize childcare, paid leave, and health care coverage in the Phase 3 COVID relief bill being acted on by US Congress.

Our Voice asks that you continue to broadly share their Family Violence Survey.

Buncombe County Partnership for Children asks for you to also continue to share a survey with parents or caregivers of children ages 0-5 that will help inform a new parenting program. You'll find the spanish language version and promotion flyers on our Support page. 

The NC Center for Nonprofits is collecting information from NC-based non-profit organizations about their needs stemming from COVID-19.  You don't need to be a member of the Center in order to response to the survey.

Reliable Resources about COVID:
We are continuing to update our Resources Page with reliable information.  If there is something you would like to see us post, please let us know.

Our next Advisory Council meeting will be held remotely on Thursday 4/2/2020.  We will send login information and instructions closer to the time. It will focus on COVID information, resources and a discussion of how we can consider equity in our response. 


Take good care. 

Warmly, 
The Buncombe CHIP Leadership Team

March CHIP Update - CHIP during COVID-29

Dear Community Partners and Key Stakeholders,

We are reaching out to update you on changes in our work related to the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). As a Community Health Improvement Advisory Council, our role is shifting to support the prevention and treatment of this disease. We invite you to partner with us in this evolving work in order to better support the people you serve across our community. 

A few actions you can take and promote through your networks include:

1. Sign up for BC Alerts by texting BCAlerts to 888-777 from your cell phone. Make sure to include the hyphen!  You will receive a response asking for your zipcode for more targeted alert info.
2. Email non-medical questions, concerns and resources related to preparedness and treatment to ready@buncombe.org. You can also send available resources directly to us through Terri March so we can collect and disseminate them. 
3. Access resources and refer others to BuncombeCounty.org/bcready.
4. If your organization would like to become more involved and engaged, please contact Zo Mpofu about regular meetings of an epidemiology group. 
5. Review the following linked documents to help inform your work and conversations with others: the Governor's State of Emergency declaration, a statement from Race Forward (home to the Government Alliance on Race and Equity or GARE) on The Coronavirus Emergency, Official Response and Its Impacts on Communities of Color, an Equity Message Guidance document to promote inclusive language and less stigmatizing terminology in talking about COVID-19, a Glossary of Terms to help understand the language being used by public health, community officials and the media in discussing the virus and finally a SAMHSA guidance document on supporting behavioral health during social isolation.
6. to promote inclusive language and less stigmatizing terminology in talking about COVID-19, a Glossary of Terms to help understand the language being used by public health officials, community officials and the media in discussing the virus and finally a SAMHSA guidance document on supporting behavioral health during social isolation.  You'll also find all of these on our CHIP Blog Resources Page

We will keep you informed of developments through email and other means. We will also be sharing positive community health resources not related to this disease through the Facebook page and invite you to do the same: https://www.facebook.com/BuncombeCHIP/ . We will also share learning opportunities on our Learn Blog page.

We also want to let you know about two important survey processes being conducted by partnerrs. Our Voice asks that you broadly share their Family Violence Survey and Buncombe County Partnership for Children aks you to share a survey with parents or caregivers of children ages 0-5 that will help inform a new parenting program. You'll find the spanish language version and promotion flyers on our Support page. 

Our next Advisory Council meeting will be remote, and we will send login information and instructions closer to the time. It will focus on COVID information, resources and a discussion of how we can consider equity in our response. 

As Dr. Mandy Cohen, our State Health and Human Services Secretary, has said, Let’s be guided by compassion and reason and work to support each other as a community.”

Take good care. 

Warmly, 

The Buncombe CHIP Leadership Team