Ottawa – Given the high demand for reliable and accessible information, especially while living in the context of COVID-19 restrictions, many cities and organizations found it necessary to hold virtual town halls for communities and their residents to learn about the resources and assistance available to them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, despite this applaudable intention, most of these efforts were not directed at Indigenous peoples per se nor was much of this information culturally-relevant or -sensitive.
To address this gap, earlier this year, the First Nations Health Managers Association (FNHMA) organized and hosted 14 bilingual COVID-19 Virtual Town Halls. These 60-minute Town Halls were all livestreamed via the Indigenous Health Today website and were extremely well-received, often hitting 15,000 to 20,000 live viewers across the numerous platforms which broadcasted them. Each week featured speakers from different organizations who provided credible and reliable information, discussed resources, and updated about what their organizations are doing to combat COVID-19.
However, with the recent reportage of a spike in cases nationally, and especially the considerable weekly increase in the number of new and active COVID-19 cases in First Nation communities since mid-August, the FNHMA did not hesitate to readdress the serious need for sharing credible and reliable COVID-19 information to Indigenous front line health workers, health ...