Community Engagement: Covid-19
Community Engagement: Covid-19
In allyship with communities
As a Carnegie-designated Community-Engaged University, Loyola University Chicago is committed to fostering mutually beneficial relationships with communities across the Chicago area, Illinois, the Midwest, the U.S., and even the globe.
We eagerly accept opportunities to drive human health. Community engagement enables us to enhance our students’ learning and citizenship, sharpen our scholarship and creative activity, and address pressing societal issues in the name of the common good. We work to establish trust with community members and build long-term, productive, and collaborative relationships that deliver sustainable impact together.
The Rise of CERCL: Champions of Health Equity in Local Communities
In the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Parkinson School community prioritized action amid tumultuous times. Alongside partners from Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine, the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, and the schools of law and social work, Parkinson students and faculty spearheaded the launch of COVID Equity Response Collaborative: Loyola (CERCL)—a multi-layered effort to mitigate the effects of the outbreak and respond to the community’s most pressing needs.
CERCL immediately became an all-encompassing source for empowerment, advocacy, and action. The upstart effort:
- Provided free and accessible COVID testing to more than 1,500 community residents
- Trained over 80 students and community residents on contact tracing, including soft-skills training, to improve communication and optimize effectiveness of outreach efforts in diverse communities
- Screened approximately 1,100 people for social and legal influencers of health and provided tailored support where needed
- Distributed more than 5,000 personal protective equipment (PPE)/resource bags containing face masks, sanitation wipes, general community resource sheets, and COVID-19 FAQs
- Implemented 20 virtual, live-streamed, and interactive sessions—in both English and Spanish—on COVID-19-related topics in partnership with experts and a local media outlet
- Co-hosted at least 19 vaccine clinics at various community events
- Conducted multiple cohorts of the Community Engagement Fellowship empowering students to plan and execute community projects alongside local partners
As the pandemic slowed, CERCL transitioned from testing, contact tracing, and vaccinations to a general community
health equity collaborative model. Today, the “C” in CERCL stands for “Community.” The interdisciplinary coalition advocates for structural and health equity by teaming with Chicago area partners to address community concerns and address broad health initiatives ranging from gun violence prevention to mental health.
Collaborating with residents and community-based organizations wishing to create—and realize—sustainable visions for a healthy and prosperous community,
CERCL’s current programming includes:
- Semester-long community engagement fellowships allow students to develop skills in critical thinking, intercultural and interprofessional collaborations, and effective communication, as well as civic, social, and environmental responsibility. In addition to didactic work, fellows are assigned to community partners in Maywood to co-manage a community-based project.
- CERCL partners with local organizations to lead regular discussions with community members about identified health, social, and economic needs.
- CERCL’s interdisciplinary team shares its knowledge and skills with community partners to elevate their work, from developing and evaluating programs to building increased capacity.
1,500+
Community Residents Provided Free and Accessible Covid Testing
5,000+
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)/Resource Bags Distributed
20
Virtual, Live-Streamed, and Interactive Sessions on COVID-19 Related Topics Implemented
19
Vaccine Clinics at Various Community Events Co-Hosted
The Rise of CERCL: Champions of Health Equity in Local Communities
In the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Parkinson School community prioritized action amid tumultuous times. Alongside partners from Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine, the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, and the schools of law and social work, Parkinson students and faculty spearheaded the launch of COVID Equity Response Collaborative: Loyola (CERCL)—a multi-layered effort to mitigate the effects of the outbreak and respond to the community’s most pressing needs.
CERCL immediately became an all-encompassing source for empowerment, advocacy, and action. The upstart effort:
- Provided free and accessible COVID testing to more than 1,500 community residents
- Trained over 80 students and community residents on contact tracing, including soft-skills training, to improve communication and optimize effectiveness of outreach efforts in diverse communities
- Screened approximately 1,100 people for social and legal influencers of health and provided tailored support where needed
- Distributed more than 5,000 personal protective equipment (PPE)/resource bags containing face masks, sanitation wipes, general community resource sheets, and COVID-19 FAQs
- Implemented 20 virtual, live-streamed, and interactive sessions—in both English and Spanish—on COVID-19-related topics in partnership with experts and a local media outlet
- Co-hosted at least 19 vaccine clinics at various community events
- Conducted multiple cohorts of the Community Engagement Fellowship empowering students to plan and execute community projects alongside local partners
As the pandemic slowed, CERCL transitioned from testing, contact tracing, and vaccinations to a general community
health equity collaborative model. Today, the “C” in CERCL stands for “Community.” The interdisciplinary coalition advocates for structural and health equity by teaming with Chicago area partners to address community concerns and address broad health initiatives ranging from gun violence prevention to mental health.
Collaborating with residents and community-based organizations wishing to create—and realize—sustainable visions for a healthy and prosperous community,
CERCL’s current programming includes:
- Semester-long community engagement fellowships allow students to develop skills in critical thinking, intercultural and interprofessional collaborations, and effective communication, as well as civic, social, and environmental responsibility. In addition to didactic work, fellows are assigned to community partners in Maywood to co-manage a community-based project.
- CERCL partners with local organizations to lead regular discussions with community members about identified health, social, and economic needs.
- CERCL’s interdisciplinary team shares its knowledge and skills with community partners to elevate their work, from developing and evaluating programs to building increased capacity.