LISC Identifies Best Practices Learned through Pandemic Response

This spring, LISC Rhode Island was asked to participate in a program for the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) where ten community-based organizations from across the country shared their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic to identify best practices and lessons learned.  

Gathering community-based organizations to share best practices, NNPHI was eager to understand the various ways communities built or expanded new prevention resources and services to reduce COVID-19-related disparities among groups at higher risk, and how organizations used data collection and reporting to inform next steps. They wanted to understand how the existing infrastructure helped — or hindered — the state's response to the pandemic and how it supported people at higher risk of worse outcomes. The ultimate goal was to create shared resources to help other communities prepare for the next challenge.

Robyn Hall (left) and Liz Moreira, LISC Rhode Island Program Officers, presented their findings at NNPHI's COVID-19 Health Disparities Reverse Site Visit: Celebrating Our Successes in March, 2024.

NNHPI hosted a "reverse site visit" as an opportunity to identify best practices and share resources to others involved in population health. Attended by more than 400 representatives from Departments of Health, public health entities and front-line community-based organizations, the conference provided an opportunity for the ten groups to showcase their key learnings and answer questions around implementation and delivery of services. In late March, these ten organizations met in Chicago to share their key learnings.

During the two-day conference, the ten community-based organizations spoke about challenges encountered during service delivery, ways to deploy trusted messengers to dispel myths and misinformation, and how they navigated cultural nuances that impacted testing and vaccination uptake. 

As one of the ten participating organizations, LISC Rhode Island presented a microsite, video and case study of the pandemic as seen through the eyes of Pawtucket and Central Falls residents. It was clear from the first meeting with our cohort of exemplars that the Health Equity Zone infrastructure was pivotal to delivering services quickly to residents in a time when the speed of the disease had dramatic consequences. While other locations scrambled to pull together partnerships and identify strengths that could be activated and challenges to overcome, the Pawtucket Central Falls Health Equity Zone relied on an unshakable collaborative of more than 110 partners and resident leaders. Those relationships — built on trust earned through years of partnership — enabled the HEZ to work quickly to respond to rapidly changing demands. 

This roadmap was presented at the conference to highlight the journey through the pandemic.

The HEZ infrastructure streamlined communications between the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the community to optimize  service delivery. As RIDOH received data on infection rates, the HEZ was able to target resources based on granular data. As residents voiced their concerns and asked questions, the HEZ provided feedback to RIDOH and facilitate distribution of accurate, complete and actionable information and resources, such as hot spots for infection and cold spots for vaccine uptake. At a time when all resources were stretched, the HEZ provided a communication channel that streamlined critical information sharing. 

This two-way communications channel between RIDOH and the community through the HEZ was instrumental in addressing cultural complexities as well. It was shared by HEZ volunteers that staffed the pop-up testing centers that a contributing factor to low testing uptake was that the National Guard was wearing military uniforms. The HEZ team at LISC shared this with DOH, which was able to request that the reservists who staffed the test sites dressed in civilian clothes. This simple change was enough to make a difference and increased testing uptake. 

The HEZ also fostered a greater sense of community in a time when people worldwide were isolated and in lock-down. The HEZ collaborative, led by the Pawtucket Family YMCA, instituted a “street team,” which responded to street-level data of infection rates with deliveries of cleaning supplies, food, and testing kits. The collaborative coordinated a Pawtucket-Central Falls specific multi-lingual hot-line provided by Collette Travel, headquartered in Pawtucket and a HEZ collaborative member for many years. Community members staffed the hotline and provided a friendly voice for residents, as well as information about resources, test locations, and the virus. 

It was clear from feedback from community-based organizations and attendees that the systems-change approach to establishing a HEZ was a key learning. Understandably, organizations saw the benefits of engaging residents authentically and productively before emergencies. Communities grow at the “speed of trust,” and establishing  trusted relationships is an important first step in emergency preparedness.  

Most importantly, the HEZ infrastructure prioritizes resident input. As population health focuses on addressing health equity in underserved communities, understanding the resident experience helps paint a realistic picture of the social determinants of health felt by that community. Listening to residents helps to develop a deeper understanding of the issues that need to be addressed by the DOH. Creating a HEZ that manages regular meetings, promotes interactions and conducts community assessments is the first step toward creating health equity. 

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