COVID-19 in my community
In some of my early blog posts I have discussed some areas of healthcare that COVID-19 is affecting and what is being done in response to COVID-19. I am going to again highlight those findings and then talk about how I believe COVID-19 is affecting my community and how we are responding to it.
- COVID-19 entry: My community
With the current COVID-19 situation that our nation is in today I began to think about how it is affecting my local community as well. By exploring my communities overall health I became concerned mainly by the lack of transportation we have here during this time. If an individual wanted to get tested for COVID-19 but had no car to get them to a testing location they are stuck. One would somehow have to find a way to get to the city of Albany which is located around 20 minutes away to get tested. Transportation was another concern of mine when our local grocery store sold out of daily household products and certain food like chicken because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Again, with lack of transportation then causes individuals to buy unhealthy non-perishable foods. Unhealthy food was not my only concern. My main concern was not having enough food or daily household items. If our local grocery store was sold out how would someone with no transportation be able to get these products at a cheap enough price to keep their family safe and healthy during this pandemic. One of the only resources that I was able to find that could provide families with healthier food options and some daily household items during this pandemic is the local food pantry that is located at St. Patrick’s Church on Main Street in Ravena.
2. COVID-19 entry: Procedure for accessing CapitalCare
With COVID-19 having the effects on our world today, lots of daily tasks as we know them are being changed. Being in New York we now have to wear facemasks everywhere we go, many businesses are shut down, but there are some essential businesses like doctors offices that need to stay open during this time. CapitalCare in Ravena is one of the doctors offices that are open during this time. They ask that if an individual is feeling ill to please call ahead of time to limit risk of exposure to other patients and their staff. They have stated that though they do not do walk in appointments, the physicians are still available in many different ways, such as by phone or telemedicine (by video). They state that telemedicine is a great resource to have during this time because it allows for a face to face video chat with a physician but also keeps everyone safe from infection. CapitalCare has also decided to waive any fees for telemedicine during this time in the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, our town supervisor is working with our county executive Dan McCoy to get Ravena to be a testing site for COVID-19.
3. COVID-19 entry: Food distribution during COVID-19
With all New York State schools closing for the remainder of the school year RCS wanted to make sure that children will still be able to have access to healthy breakfast and lunch options. Any child under the age of 18 that attends any of the RCS schools can receive free meals through the school district’s food service program. The meals can be picked up on Mondays and Wednesdays between 7am and 10am through June 2020. There is a list of locations on the schools website that states where the food can be picked up based on different locations.
4. COVID-19 entry: School resources during COVID-19
During this pandemic teachers and students have been forced to do teaching and learning from the safety of their homes. This has been especially hard for some parents that have younger children and are also working from home. However, the school district and the teachers have been trying to make it as easy as possible by using a platform like google classroom to assign, submit, grade, and video chat with their students. When thinking about parents now becoming their children’s teacher I thought about parents of a child that receive special education from the school. Having to learn from home could be a lot of added pressure during this time to try to teach their child. These parents might feel as if they do not have the qualifications to teach their child and do not want this to affect their progress in any way. Thankfully the RCS school district set out a letter that highlighted the resources available (like contacting teachers) to help their child with their learning (link to the letter attached here). In the letter it states that parents could request that all their child’s school work be in paper format if the student does not have access to technology. I personally think that is a great resource because in a community with such a diverse population there could be children that do not have access to technology for hours of the day to do assignments and video chats. Therefore, having this resource available to request the paper form of the school work can allow the students with no technology access assignments and stay on top of their school work.
5. COVID -19 entry: Community Hospices COVID-19 Response Fund
This fund was made to help community hospice to help pay for immediate needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund helps pay for PPE for the staff members, adding additional staff to their community, and additional equipment such as I-pads to allow patients in hospice to communicate and say goodbye to their loved one virtually. To donate to the Community Hospices COVID-19 Response Fund please use this the provided link: COVID-19 Response Fund
My thoughts on COVID-19 affect my community and community response
Covid-19 has and still is impacting us all in so many ways and more than I ever thought it would. I remember first hearing about COVID-19 outbreak overseas but for some reason I never thought that it would make it to New York or if it did I never thought it would be as bad as it is. When I was told that we were evacuating Union College campus and I had to go home, at the time just a few weeks, I didn’t realize how this was actually affecting many communities. I think it was easy to get caught up in my last few weeks of winter term of my senior year, anxiously waiting for spring break vacation. However, when I came home I was able to see how this was actually affecting my community. The grocery store was low on meats and daily household items. There was no one around, which is different for a community that is as small as mine because there are usually always people walking around, hanging out at Stewarts or driving through town.
In response to the pandemic my community has taken all the necessary measures. Being in New York there has been strict social distancing that is being enforced, along with wearing a mask in public. Our schools have been closed for the remainder of the school year and moved to online learning. All town parks have been closed and all diners and restaurants in the local area have been great with changing everything to take out only. The local CapitalCare has put forth rules and regulations about how they will be operating during the pandemic. More information about that can be found above in section 2 of my COVID-19 entries.
Coming from a very close family that used to get together at least once a month, it has been difficult not being able to have that family time like we usually would. It has also been difficult not being able to see my grandparents. During this sad and scary time individuals want to be with the people they love but because of the seriousness of this illness it has stopped that from happening. I know my family tries to make food and small gestures to my grandparents that we are still here and want to make sure they are being safe. However, my family has learned how to make the best of the situation we are in currently. During this COVID-19 pandemic my aunt had a milestone birthday. Being that we are in strict social distancing and some of my cousins and aunts are on the front lines we did a parade through her development for her 50th birthday. It was great to see how much she appreciated it and how much it means to see everyone during such a difficult time in our lives. In the video below you can see how we celebrated her 50th birthday by doing a parade!
Aunt Kris 50th birthday celebration video
Overall, COVID-19 has changed our lives as we know it but I do believe that we have to try to pay attention and be grateful for the little things in our lives that make us happy. I hope and pray that everyone is staying safe and healthy 🙂
-Bailey