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