New York City, USA
Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) - COVID-19 Response, New York City
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During peak operations, mobile testing units were deployed in three sites across NYC’s five boroughs, on any given day. CORE provided testing services and outreach materials in English and Spanish, supporting organizers, Mutual Aid Organizations, and Community Based Organizations.
These flyers are from an engagement with Bushwick Ayuda Mutua, a Mutual Aid Organization serving several hundred families in Bushwick, Brooklyn, mostly Spanish-speaking. Through this partnership, CORE was able to provide testing on a weekly basis in an underserved area during the organization’s weekly food distribution.
Canvassing the neighborhood on foot, handing out flyers, strategically sharing the digital flyers on social media, and consistent presence and hospitality during the week, enabled CORE to test nearly 100 individuals during a 4-hour weekly event.
CORE provided testing services and outreach materials to organizers in English, Spanish, and in some areas, Mandarin and Cantonese. These samples were from an engagement with Grand Street Settlement, a non-profit organization serving a large Chinese population.
This was a two-day engagement over one weekend, reaching out to vulnerable populations such as undocumented immigrants and Naturally Occurring Retirement Centers (NORCS)/Seniors in the Lower East Side, NYC. 300 individuals were tested during this engagement.
What to do when the main cure for a novel virus IS communication, and your audience are tough New Yorkers?
During my time at CORE as Head of Communications and Community Engagement, our strategy was to reach out to Community and Faith Based Organizations, local governments (ie, partnerships with The Mayor’s Test and Trace Corps) and Mutual Aid Organizations, providing free, accessible COVID-19 test services to at-risk and hard hit communities. CORE’s objectives are rooted deeply in social justice, and communications and outreach followed suit.
In partnership with organizers, we provided branded templates and translation services to drive people to test sites, supporting community needs. My aim was to provide clear, informative and culturally responsive information to New Yorkers. This means offsetting skepticism, building trust, meeting people where they are, and being hospitable. CORE tested 13,000+ New Yorkers across the five boroughs in three months.
Side 1 of Educational Pamphlet: Communications materials included an educational pamphlet, which was drafted in consultation with public health experts.
Side 2 of Educational Pamphlet: Copy reflected NYC’s magnanimity and proud sense of community, focusing on behavior-change and empowerment, while debunking common myths about testing.