Community Action News
August 2020
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Community Action in a Pandemic
You may have read about a COVID-19 outbreak at a blueberry farm. Those farmworkers needed to be moved off the farm to successfully isolate, and they needed to move quickly. To complicate matters, they did not speak English, but Spanish and Haitian Creole. Downeast Community Partners, the local community action agency, needed partners to assure the workers they would have culturally and linguistically appropriate services throughout their time of isolation. The first two partners DCP called were Catholic Charities, which is also contracted for this work, and Mano en Mano, an organization dedicated to supporting farmworkers and immigrants.
The group found two hotels to provide a safe and comfortable place for the guests to isolate and quarantine. Mano worked with one hotel's cooking staff to provide culturally appropriate meals. For another hotel without a restaurant, Penquis cooks prepared meals and snacks in their Child Development kitchens and their transportation program, Lynx, delivered the meals daily.
As the number of guests at hotels increased and it became challenging to provide over 300 meals and snacks per day, Penquis contracted with an area restaurant to provide the evening meal. Mano en Mano provided on site staff at one hotel and Penobscot Community Health Center (PCHC) provided staff at the other. Maine Mobile Health (MMH) and PCHC, both Federally Qualified Health Centers, have been testing and assisting with medical needs and coordinated transportation, as well. All partners joined both daily and weekly meetings with the state to assure they were supported, had what they needed to assure the guests were safe and tended to and to help contact tracers when needed.
Bringing together two CAAs, two Federally Qualified Health Centers and two local culturally appropriate organizations is what is making this community safer, and making Maine a leader in "flattening the curve" of COVID-19.
This is how #CommunityActionResponds.
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The Census is ending early this year, so don't forget to go online or call to ensure you are counted! It's fast, easy and important to tel |
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Don't Forget to Vote
If you are not comfortable going to the polls in person this November 3, now is the time to request an absentee ballot. Apply online at the Secretary of State's office, visit your local city or town hall, or call either the state or your local office. Voting is important to us all, so please take the time to make your vote count. |
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Planning Via Zoom
Great work like you just read about doesn't happen by accident. We talk together, we talk often. Here we are talking about social supports for people who are quarantining or isolating to protect their communities from COVID-19.
Heating season is just about here, too, so we've been meeting with our partners at MaineHousing to go over this year's heating support system (HEAP), including the new income guidelines. Call your local CAA for an appointment - call now, we can pay for fuel later.
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What is new, what else do we do? Learn more about our work by listening to Jason Parent, MeCAP Board President, and Megan Hannan, MeCAP Executive Director talk with radio personalit y Danny Martignetti. |
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