Community Health 5

Although the staff at Theatre Gargantua in Toronto picked up some interesting hobbies and pastimes during the early stages of lockdown, they were eager to get back to the stage. When they were able to do so, Theatre Gargantua quickly applied for and adopted the Stop the Spread program to ensure that their staff and audience would feel safe and comfortable getting back to live theatre.

Providing a safe place to people in need of shelter, Embrave Agency to End Violence could not even consider closing due to the pandemic. Instead, they looked for ways to keep operating safely, for clients and staff, implementing many safety measures, including the Canadian Red Cross Stop the Spread program.

Navigating the health care system and available community health resources can be tricky. Recognizing this, the Canadian Red Cross has created a program to make it easier for older adults, their caregivers, and families.

“I just remember night after night for what seemed like weeks this was always a news item, this war in Biafra. The fighting, the starving children, the displaced people,” Pat Laberge says. “I also remember the Red Cross and that the Red Cross was helping.”
It wasn’t long before she pointed at the television and blurted out that this was what she wanted to do with her life. She was going to be a humanitarian. She was going to join the Red Cross. And she did.

First responders have advanced first aid training which allows them to stabilize a patient until emergency medical services (EMS) arrives. In rural and remote communities where EMS can be hours away, having local first responders on the scene can mean the difference between life and death.

Jules Zanré, a Montrealer originally from Burkina Faso, has spent the last 10 years improving access to health care for mothers, newborns, and children in many rural communities of Mali.

Cindy Chiu volunteers to support the Health Equipment Loans Program and the Friendly Calls Program, two vital Red Cross community health and well-being services in Alberta. 
“The most rewarding part about volunteering with HELP is hearing people express their gratitude for the equipment they received; how it greatly aided in their recovery or helped them continue to live independently.”

As a COVID-19 outbreak in late April and early May 2021 impacted Iqaluit, Mayor Kenny Bell knew that help was needed. The Canadian Red Cross was brought to Iqaluit in mid-May to provide additional support to a homeless shelter in the city but, by the time the team left, they had also done Epidemic Prevention and Control (EPC) assessments for 13 organizations across the city.