CHIP Update May 20

Greetings CHIP Partners!

Much has changed over the past two months and we are all revisiting how we best support the needs of our community.  At the May CHIP Advisory meeting we spent much of our time discussing what key issue areas to pursue together over these next weeks and months.  

The overarching theme that emerged from this conversation was equity with the greatest priority on ensuring that everyone in our community has access to testing, treatment and other resources they need to manage this crisis.  The next most commonly voiced priorities were working together to address Economic Equity; Advocacting at the state or national level for appropriate resources for housing, childcare, financial support in this time of crisis; and  Advocacy for increased funding for our fragile early education system. The meeting recording, slides and process work notes around key issues can be found on our CHIP Blog page.

To continue to support these priorities we are trying to share as much accurate information about testing and treatment so that you with "boots on the ground" or connections to trusted community resources can get this information to those in need.  In return, we need to hear what YOU need to effectively communicate with those in need.  Please visit our blog pages frequently for updated information and resouces.  Below are a few new additions to our Support, Engage and Learn Blog Pages to find out what's new.

Updates on Information about COVID-19 and resources to address local needs

• Community testing to reach low-access communities - the most current information on testing in Buncombe County and a schedule and flyers on in-community testing 
• Buncombe County COVID-19 Coronavirus Case Dashboard has been newly added to the County's Community COVID-19 page.
• Buncombe County's Self-Checker Tool is a quick tool anyone can use online or by phone to help assess symptoms of COVID-19 and provide guidance on getting care or testing. It also assists public health to better understand how the virus is spreading inform our community's response.
• Pisgah Legal's Emergency Benefits Guide provides an overview of what individuals eligible for public benefits such as Food Stamps/EBT, Unemploment and Health Insurance should know about how to access benefits during the COVID-19 response. 
• A NEW section on Resources for Non-profits and Community Organizations Responding to COVID-19 including grants and other opportunities

Opportunities and Resources for Advocacy

• Advocacy platforms and tools from Human Impact Partners, RESULTS and Mom's Rising
• Locally produced Let's Talk Webinars and Broadcasts (next week topics are the local justice response to COVID-19 and a conversation about Mental Health and Wellbeing)
• An Equitable Systems Transformation Framework for COVID-19
• WNC's newly released report on COVID-19 & Health Disaprities in WNC
• Public Health Awakened and The Spirit of 1848 COVID-19 an ever-growing database of public health responses to COVID-19

Learning Opportunities

• Webinar: How can we ensure equitable access to COVID-19 treatment? hosted by UNC Gillings School of Public Health on June 2nd.

Also, as we continue to connect virtually, we would like to make sure that we can all equally participate. We are learning more about ways to better use technology and to provide our partners with tools and resources they need to better navigate this virtual world. We'll be taking steps to make sure materials or requests for input, to the extent possible, are shared in advance of our meetings.  Please reach out to us to let us know what challenges or needs you have that make participating in virtual meetings difficult. We will be building out some resources for how to work better in the virtual environment. Look for these starting in the next few days on our Learning and Resources pages.

We hope these resources are helpful for you and your communities.

Take good care!

The Buncombe CHIP Leadership Team