New helpline for people most at risk from virus
THE Covid-19 County Wicklow Response Forum has established a dedicated community support helpline to assist at risk members of the public in accessing non-emergency, non-medical supports and advice.
The helpline was launched last Tuesday as part the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 Community Response Forum includes over a dozen agencies and organisations and is coordinated by Wicklow County Council.
The confidential Helpline is focused primarily on ensuring that vulnerable members of the community or those living alone can access deliveries of groceries, medicine and fuels.
The role of the Forum is to ensure that there is a co-ordinated community response and to enable all voluntary statutory agencies to collaborate in support of our communities and particularly of our most vulnerable members.
Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Frank Curran, explained; ‘ There are a number of agencies currently doing excellent work in delivering care to older and vulnerable people in our communities. These groups are currently operating independently of each other and Wicklow County Council’s role is to provide a targeted, integrated and coordinated approach to the delivery of these much-needed services to our more vulnerable citizens across the County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Wicklow County Council is ideally placed both statutorily and regionally to channel this great work and provide the governance structure in partnership with all stakeholders. This public health crisis has changed life for so many, and we are there to help with that change. Our own staff whose day-jobs have changed due to this crisis, will be a key resource in the management and operation of this community support programme along with our partner agencies/groups.’
The new phoneline is just one aspect of the Forum’s work. Included in the Response Forum are Wicklow County Council, HSE, An Garda Síochána, Local Community Development Committee, The Public Participation Network, An
Post, Local Link, Citizens Information Services, Community Development Organisations, as well as other community, voluntary and sports representatives.
The forum’s key aim is contributing to the community-wide effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. Wicklow County Council, through this group, will ensure that the wide variety of groups working across the county to assist those in need will do so in an organised, collaborative and targeted way.
The Council’s COVID-19 Community
Response Forum is there to ensure the very best use of the many resources assisting vulnerable persons with their daily needs at this unprecedented time, whether that is collecting medication, food shopping, social support and contact.
The free helpline contact number is 1800868399 with the lines open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
The contact email address for this new service is covidsupport@wicklowcoco.ie.