*CHW Conference CANCELED*
We regret to inform you that we will be canceling our Community Health Worker Conference and Retreat tomorrow. We will provide a 60-90 minute webinar (details coming soon) and reschedule the in-person conference and retreat for a later date.
We are following the situation with COVID-19/Coronavirus as Community Health Workers (CHW’s) and healthcare/public health professionals. Even though there are no positive cases in Buffalo that we know of yet, there may be people who are asymptomatic (don't show signs of illness) and/or who have not considered being tested. As our CHW’s frequently encounter higher risk populations, we believe it to be against public health recommendations to convene for the conference.
Tomorrow’s webinar in lieu of the in-person conference will provide an update on COVID-19, our position as CHW’s/CHW Network of Buffalo/CoNECT, and basic guidance to CHW’s and others re: good public health practice and precautions. We will also provide an abbreviated update on CoNECT, CHW’s and CHW initiatives and projects in line with the outline of our planned conference.
If you would like reimbursement of your conference fee, you can contact Sarah Ziolkowski at ziolkows@dyc.edu. We can also hold your conference fee for the rescheduled conference/retreat. More information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is below.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and support. Please take good care of yourselves and each other!
Thank you,
Jessica Bauer Walker Executive Director
CoNECT (Community Network for Engagement, Connection and Transformation)
and Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo
The CDC current lists COVID-19/Cornavirus as a minimal to moderate threat. At this level, community and faith-based organizations should take the following steps:
Implement social distancing measures:
Reduce activities (e.g., group congregation, religious services), especially for organizations with individuals at increased risk of severe illness.
Consider offering video/audio of events.
Determine ways to continue providing support services to individuals at increased risk of severe disease* (services, meals, checking in) while limiting group settings and exposures.
Cancel large gatherings (e.g., >250 people, though threshold is at the discretion of the community) or move to smaller groupings.
For organizations that serve high-risk populations, cancel gatherings of more than 10 people.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community-mitigation-strategy.pdf
*Older people and people with chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma and heart disease are particularly vulnerable to more severe illness from this virus. If many people with these characteristics become ill at the same time, there may not be adequate healthcare resources to treat them. If, on the other hand, they become ill over a longer period of time due to social distancing, our healthcare system will be able to adequately care for them.