As many of you know, we are currently dealing with a pandemic, the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Clinical and public health professionals are inundated hourly about what to do as during this pandemic.
The Patient Navigator Training Collaborative (PNTC) is following local, state and national guidance for implementing our courses during this time. Current recommendations are to practice ‘”social distancing” as a way to slow down the spread of the virus. To do this, PNTC is moving in person courses to a virtual environment to protect the health and safety of participants and instructors. We hope that we will be able to offer in-person courses during the summer.
If you are currently registered for an upcoming in-person course, you will receive an email asking if you would like to move to a virtual course or postpone your attendance to an in-person course later in the summer.
As clinical and public health professionals, patient navigators, community health workers and care coordinators have an important role during this epidemic. We can help direct community members to credible information and reduce misinformation. The following websites provide up-to-date and accurate information. At PNTC, we hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe.
Training for Community Health Workers/Navigators
Click here to view a recording of a recent webinar “Dispelling the Myths and Rumors of the New Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).” It is geared toward a community health worker/navigator audience and has strategies to help dispel myths and rumors in the community and work with patients during this challenging time. You just have to enter a name and email to access this FREE resource.
Credible sources of information on COVID-19
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID-19 website
CDC COVID-19 fact sheets and posters
World Health Organization COVID-19 website
You state public health department (for example, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Partner Toolkit
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) – Statistics and Research (Our World in Data)
COVID-19 and Public Charge (relevant for immigrant patients)
The Public Charge rule does not restrict access to testing, screening, or treatment of communicable diseases, including COVID-19. In addition, the rule does not restrict access to vaccines for children or adults to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases. …To address the possibility that some aliens impacted by COVID-19 may be hesitant to seek necessary medical treatment or preventive services, US Citizenship and Immigration Services will neither consider testing, treatment, nor preventative care (including vaccines, if a vaccine becomes available) related to COVID-19 as part of a public charge inadmissibility determination, nor as related to the public benefit condition applicable to certain nonimmigrants seeking an extension of stay or change of status, even if such treatment is provided or paid for by one or more public benefits, as defined in the rule (e.g. federally funded Medicaid).