UArizona health workers debunking coronavirus misinformation
May 12, 2020, 4:45 AM | Updated: 1:14 pm
(Getty Images/Karen Ducey)
(Getty Images/Karen Ducey)
PHOENIX — Community health workers with the Mobile Health Unit program at the University of Arizona are used to doing a lot of in-person interaction with Spanish-speaking families, but the coronavirus has forced them to make some adjustments.
They’re now doing most of their work by phone.
“We’re calling back the people that have had some sort of relationship with the Mobile Health Unit,” Cecilia Rosales, the program’s director, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.
“The first part of the call is about ‘how are you doing’ and ‘what is it that you need,’” she said. “Then we ask ‘what do you know about what’s going on right now and why’re we’re all staying at home?’”
Rosales said community health workers are finding there’s a lot of misinformation and myths about the coronavirus within the Spanish-speaking community. She said some are reporting that they’ve heard radio talk show hosts making light of the situation and not taking the disease seriously.
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“We’ve also had people tell us that they are receiving too much information, and they turn everything off,” she added. “Then they rely on Facebook, and there’s a lot of misinformation on Facebook as well.”
Community health workers are trying to provide people reliable information about the coronavirus. They’re also asking people what they need help with and making referrals by phone and online.
The biggest issue they see people facing is losing their jobs.
“For the most part, the people we service through our Mobile Health Unit live paycheck to paycheck to begin with,” Rosales said. “So there are food insecurity issues. They also have bills to pay, like utilities and rent.”
She said community health workers are connecting people who’ve lost their job to a wide range of services, ranging from groups that provide food boxes to those that know of jobs that are in high-demand for workers.
Community health workers are also helping people with their medical needs, including helping them set up tele-health consultations.
“In some cases, people have run out of supplies for diabetes,” she said. “We make every effort to get those supplies and leave them at their doorstep.”
Since launching in 2016, the Mobile Health Unit program has serviced about 13,000 people. They normally take vans to public places and events, and they provide health screenings. They check people’s blood pressure, glucose levels, and cholesterol.
Rosales said while they’re not able to provide the health screenings, they are continuing to provide referrals for health care and more.
“We’re taking them by the hand,” she said. “We’re actually making some calls on their behalf and then having a three-way conversation, for example. We can still do those things.”
