Media Release: Inuit community shares innovative COVID-19 tool to support communities globally

June 2, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CLYDE RIVER, Nunavut, June 2, 2020 - Ilisaqsivik Society and SeeChange Initiative are launching the CommunityFirst COVID-19 Roadmap at communityfirstcovid19.org: a three-step planning tool to support at-risk and isolated communities to Organize, Prepare, and Respond to COVID-19. The website is available in English, Spanish, and Inuktitut (French-language version is forthcoming).

“The pandemic has clearly shown that communities are at the frontline of COVID-19. There is a lot of information out there but it can be hard, especially for isolated communities, to find information that is accurate and relevant to them. We built this Roadmap to address that,” says Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, Executive Director of SeeChange.

Ilisaqsivik Society and SeeChange Initiative have developed this Roadmap while supporting the Inuit community of Clyde River, Nunavut to organize and prepare its response to COVID19. Many people in Inuit communities are at high risk of developing serious COVID-19 disease because of overcrowded homes and high rates of diabetes and lung disease, including tuberculosis.

The Roadmap follows World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization guidelines on COVID-19. It showcases materials developed by and for communities, highlighting innovative community-led approaches.

“The Roadmap has been critical in helping us to create our Emergency Readiness Plan. The relevance of a hands-on tool that guides communities in preparing themselves and that links to practical and reliable resources cannot be overstated. We hope it helps other communities develop their own plans” says Ilisaqsivik Society’s Executive Director, Malcolm Ranta.

The Roadmap is launched in partnership with the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research and the Latin American Association of Médecins Sans Frontières/Médicos Sin Fronteras.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Jessica Farber, Community Readiness Coordinator, SeeChange Initiative

jessica@seechangeinitiative.org | +1 (973)-951-4423

@seechangeinit
@seechange-initiative
@seechangeinitiative
@see-change-initiative

Available for comment:

Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, Executive Director, SeeChange Initiative https://www.seechangeinitiative.org

Malcolm Ranta, Executive Director, Ilisaqsivik Society https://ilisaqsivik.ca

Dr James Orbinski, Director, Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research https://dighr.yorku.ca

Dr German Casas, President, Médicos Sin Fronteras https://msfcovid19.org/