City Hall signs partnership with NGO, which could invest at least R$10 million to combat Covid-19

Rio's municipal secretary of Government and Public Integrity, Marcelo Calero, will meet with the CEO of the NGO Core (Community Organized Relief Effort), Ann Lee, on Monday (26/04) to discuss the next steps in the partnership between the institution and the City of Rio. On April 20, the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a partnership to strengthen vaccination efforts in the city.

The NGO, founded by actor Sean Penn, has been helping with mass vaccinations in the US against Covid-19. Initially, the organization will donate R$5 million to combat the novel coronavirus in Rio, by reinforcing and setting up vaccination and testing stations and hiring professionals. Another R$5 million is being negotiated for the purchase of intubation medications, which could reach a total investment of R$10 million.

This is Core's first initiative to combat COVID-19 outside the US. The idea is for Rio to be the gateway and serve as a model for the NGO to help other Brazilian cities, supporting the SUS. In addition, all equipment purchased through the initiative will be donated to the municipal health network after the partnership ends.

– We need to prepare the city for the next stages of the vaccination against Covid-19, as we will reach younger groups. When we receive the doses from the Ministry of Health, it is essential that we have more logistics to vaccinate the population and expand testing. In this sense, the partnership with an NGO experienced in the subject, willing to invest in Rio de Janeiro, strengthening the SUS, is a great achievement – ​​highlights Secretary Marcelo Calero.

The plan is to create and strengthen five vaccination centers with the NGO's resources, in addition to hiring teams to work at these centers (including health professionals). The locations initially chosen by the Municipal Health Department were the UPA in Manguinhos, the courts of the Mocidade Independente Samba Schools in Padre Miguel and Portela (where there is already a center, but it will be expanded and maintained with Core's resources), the Vila Olímpica in Complexo do Alemão and the Parque Olímpico (which is currently open, but will now be maintained by the NGO). In the coming days, CEO Ann Lee should visit these locations to see how Core will operate.

In another stage, there will also be testing centers to increase the detection of infected patients and help combat the disease.

How the partnership was established

At the invitation of the General Coordination of International Relations and Cooperation, Core carried out technical visits to the city between April 13 and 20, to assess the scope of the partnership in the fight against Covid-19 in the municipality. The organization expressed interest in expanding the vaccination campaign and supporting the implementation of mass testing in the city.

The municipal health secretary, Daniel Soranz, and the team from the Emergency Operations Center – COE Covid-19, presented data on the pandemic in the city, the life protection measures established by the City of Rio and the municipal vaccination plan.

Core representatives monitored the City Hall's work in storing and distributing vaccines to vaccination points in the city, as well as in collecting and updating data on the pandemic on the Rio Covid-19 Panel, maintained by the municipality.

The organization also met with the Special Secretary for Youth, Salvino Oliveira, who presented the “Rio against Hunger” food donation campaign. The initiative encourages those who will receive the vaccine to donate one kilo of non-perishable food, which will be distributed to families in situations of food vulnerability in the municipality. As of April 20, more than 20 tons of food had been collected.

The expectation is that support operations will begin in May, accelerating the fight against Covid-19 in the municipality, coinciding with the increase in the number of people in priority groups for immunization.

About Core

Core is a non-profit organization founded by actor Sean Penn in response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The organization's initiatives aim to build healthier, more resilient and safer communities to mitigate the impacts of disasters. The NGO works primarily in vulnerable communities, as these are more likely to suffer the impacts of natural disasters.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization began its work by supporting the city of Los Angeles, in the United States, in carrying out tests to detect the disease. Today, Core has a robust network of programs adapted to local contexts in response to Covid-19 in the United States.

 

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• International relations
• Health

April 26th 2021

Appointments: Covid-19 NGO the partnership City Hall of Rio