Boulder County Public Health in the next week will launch an educational campaign to build awareness among frontline workers about COVID-19 quarantine and isolation guidelines in hopes of decreasing the rate of transmission.
The campaign will develop and launch a series of short videos explaining the ways in which food service, retail and other essential workers in contact with the public should quarantine and isolate if they are exposed to COVID, said Chana Goussetis, Boulder County Public Health COVID-19 response public information officer.
“We are hearing from the our contact tracing (team) ... it is difficult for (community members) to adhere to quarantine and isolation because they fear they would lose money from not being at their jobs, or believe they have no sick pay or are afraid to ask for time off,” she said. “We want them to know there are protections in place for them.”
The videos are in development and will be shared via digital channels including social media platforms, YouTube, and advertising on streaming services and devices, Goussetis said.
“In addition, we are working with community members in Boulder County and influencers asking (them) to share COVID-related messages on their social media platforms,” she said. “As leaders in the community they can help explain what is happening and be a more trusted source than a government organization might be, they also have a better connection in the community.”
A second element of the campaign entails a grassroots effort involving direct outreach by community members going out into the community to answer questions, educate and raise awareness about available resources, including legal services, housing and food, Goussetis said.
Both elements of the campaign will be available in both English and Spanish and the grassroots effort seeks to serve the Latinx community, given many frontline workers are members of the Spanish-speaking community, Goussetis said.
“Success for this campaign would look like fewer and fewer people in our community are being seriously impacted by testing positive for COVID,” she said. “The goal is for people to have the information they need to be able to be protected at their jobs … (and) see the (infection) rate in the Hispanic community go down.”
In Longmont, the organization leading the grassroots efforts, Crea Results, will be partnering with community organizations to get educational information and materials out, said Fernando Pineda-Reyes, CEO and founder of Crea Results.
“COVID-19 is a polarized issue and it is important that people understand what it is, how it works and what they need to do,” he said. “We interact as cultural brokers and work with families in the community so they are not scared of getting help or services.”
Among the groups that Crea Results is partnering with are El Comité de Longmont, Longmont Latinx Voice, the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Boulder County, the city of Longmont, El Centro Amistad, Americas for Conservation and the Arts, and Intercambio, Pineda-Reyes said.
“The message is that they are not alone,” he said. “There are various systems in place to help them, like the health care system, it’s also about taking care of each other, there’s the issue of employment, both employers and employees have certain rights.”
Beyond the availability of resources to support people in times of crisis, the campaign will include messaging about self care, including the use of masks, social distancing, and hand washing, Pineda-Reyes said.
“We are producing boxes with personal protection equipment such as gloves, thermometers, (etc.), for people who are in the frontlines,” he said.
The campaign aims to address not only public health concerns the pandemic has created but also bring awareness of the economic recovery aspect of the crisis.
“The sooner we get this under control, the sooner can get back to the economy functioning as before or hopefully better, and people can retain their jobs,” said Summer Laws, policy analyst at the Boulder County Commissioners' Office, adding she hopes people can come to see Boulder County and partnering organizations as a resources and keep a two-way conversation going about how to protect people’s health.
“We want to be responsive and effective, and work on eliminating disparities (endured by frontline workers),” she said.
Goussetis said the campaign is funded by federal CARES Act money provided by Boulder County, as well as by the office of Health Communications at Boulder County Public Health.
The campaign is set to launch in the next couple of weeks and will run through the beginning of next year, she said.
“We are building the plane as we fly it. We are finalizing the videos now and will launch as soon as possible,” Goussetis said.
