Central Falls Health Ambassadors Educate Residents on the Importance of Masking
In Central Falls masking is mandatory and the new Health Ambassadors show residents how.
CENTRAL FALLS– In an effort to slow the spread of Coronavirus and protect residents of Central Falls, Mayor James A. Diossa and the Central Falls Office on Health led by Dr. Michael Fine have established a Health Ambassador program which informs all those out and about on the streets of Central Falls about masking and the spread of COVID-19.
Due to the alarming rate of transmission in Central Falls and spiking numbers, these Health Ambassadors have proven to be invaluable. Responsible for handing out masks to all those who are unmasked outdoors in public areas, encouraging flu shots, enrolling resident in COVID-19 vaccine trails so the city is represented, and temperature checking all those who enter high traffic locations or places where vulnerable populations live, these Health Ambassadors have worked to slow the spread of the virus.
«We are doing everything we can to keep our residents safe, especially with the spike of new cases in Central Falls,» said Mayor James A. Diossa. «Seeing the bright orange sweatshirts of our health ambassadors is a reminder to our residents about how important it is to wear your mask.»
«It is great to see the 22 members of this program, soon to be 30 taking responsibility for the health and safety of their community,» said Chief Health Strategist Dr. Michael Fine. «Their work is so important to continue educating our community on the dangers of COVID-19 and how we can do our part.»
Central Falls is the first community in Rhode Island to be able to calculate its masking percentage daily in a systematic and standardized manner. Each day one of the Health Ambassadors collects the data and calculates the masking percentage with the goal of eventually reaching 100 percent masking while in public spaces.
The city is still participating in the BEAT COVID-19 incident command system and is working to expand its notification capacity beyond the Health Ambassadors and police cruiser loudspeaker messages.