Dear John,
In case you missed it... this week the Voices for Human Needs blog reported on deep-rooted fear and anxiety among elderly Americans about the coronavirus pandemic. We explored the concept of contact tracing -- and the need for state and local health departments to hire hundreds of thousands of workers to take on this task. Finally, we responded to congressional passage of the latest coronavirus-related legislation and examined new strategies child advocates are pursuing to ensure an accurate 2020 Census. Please share!
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This week on the blog...
Coronavirus and the elderly: Stories of hopelessness, solitude, isolation, and despair
April 24
When we at CHN asked our online supporters to share their stories about the coronavirus pandemic, we heard from a number of elderly people with a wide range of concerns. Some expressed a sense of hopelessness, solitude, isolation, and despair. Others feared that if they get sick, they will not be treated and will instead be sacrificed for younger patients who are deemed more likely to survive. Others still worry about an ongoing lack of testing and whether the resources will exist for them to be able to access treatment. READ MORE »
'We need an army to do this.' Experts say contact tracing may disrupt COVID-19's spread
April 23
What is contact tracing and how can it be used to interrupt COVID-19’s deadly path around the world? Imagine going about your daily life with bright red paint on your hands. Everything and everyone you come into contact with is affected. If you brush against someone in the supermarket, they might get a little bit of paint on themselves. They might bring it home to their own family, who could then spread it even further. Contact tracing has the potential to interrupt COVID-19’s chain of transmission by identifying those who are infected, and then locating and notifying their recent contacts. READ MORE »
CHN's Deborah Weinstein: Congress takes some needed steps -- but a fearful nation needs more
April 22
The latest COVID-19 legislative package should keep some workers in jobs and keep some businesses from folding. The funds for health care providers and for testing are needed. But this is far from all that is required to get millions of unemployed workers, retirees, and families out of the disastrous economic situation we’re in. Congress must continue its work via three essential routes: ensuring everyone can get medical treatment and protection against the coronavirus; supporting the incomes of millions of struggling people; and shoring up the state and local institutions of government that are needed to continue the services we depend upon. READ MORE »
Coronavirus and the 2020 Census: Revisiting the 'best laid plans'
April 21
Across the country, in every state and U.S. territory, literally thousands and thousands of community events were planned this spring as part of a massive effort – sometimes coordinated, sometimes not – to ensure an accurate count of young children in the 2020 Census. Then the coronavirus pandemic happened. So child advocates, hoping to avoid the massive undercount of young children that occurred ten years ago, have had to adeptly shift to adjust strategies. Here’s a snapshot of how advocates in Alabama, Indiana, Nevada, New York, and Oklahoma are quickly pivoting. READ MORE »
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