A new initiative, COVID-19 Community Outreach (CCO) is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and will be coordinated by The Wheel, the national association of charities, and Irish Rural Link, the national network representing the interest of rural communities.

The aim of COVID-19 Community Outreach is to make sure that vulnerable people — such as older people, people with long-term medical conditions, and people with additional needs — have access to the highest quality information and support in the safety of their homes.

The role of the Community Champions is to:

• Disseminate accurate information throughout their local area, with a particular emphasis on hard-to-reach and vulnerable audiences;
• Support and further mobilise existing volunteer efforts, to ensure safe and effective non-medical services using best-practice guidelines;
• Identify emerging gaps in community services and communicate them promptly to relevant Government sources; and
• Liaise with Local Authorities and relevant regional services to ensure that people recovering at home or returning from hospital receive necessary social supports.

Patricia Cassidy is the Community Outreach Champion for County Meath.

Patricia is the Operations Manager for Flexibus – Meath Accessible Transport Project CLG and Louth Meath and Fingal Local Link.

Please feel free to contact Patricia patricia@locallinklmf.ie or mobile: 086-602 7009