CienciaPR strikes multi-sectoral alliances to educate about COVID-19, vaccination
Recognizing the complexity of the response to the local COVID-19 epidemic in Puerto Rico, nonprofit organization Ciencia Puerto Rico has established more than a dozen multi-sectoral partnerships with other non-profits, community entities and government agencies.
The goal is to strengthen the capacity of their responses, particularly around COVID-19 education, prevention, and vaccination promotion, using CienciaPR’s COVID-19 education toolkit, “Aquí Nos Cuidamos,” said CienciaPR’s project coordinator Edmy Ayala-Rosado.
This week, the organization signed a collaboration agreement with the House of Representatives.
“For us it’s extremely important to partner with other groups, organizations and governmental entities to complement their COVID-19 education, prevention and vaccination promotion efforts and at the same time enhance our impact,” Ayala-Rosado said
“The ‘Aquí Nos Cuidamos’ Multimedia Toolkit is applicable to any organizational, municipal or community strategy…as it makes it easy to educate with clear, scientific, and culturally relevant messages to diverse communities,” she said.
“This type of educational effort is something that should be a priority for everyone, especially in the complex situation we are in, with the variants and rampant misinformation about vaccines,” Ayala-Rosado said.
In addition to the House of Representatives, Ciencia Puerto Rico has signed collaborative agreements for the use of “Aquí Nos Cuidamos” with entities such as True Self Foundation, Puerto Rico Legal Assistance, the Puerto Rican Association of Professional Counseling, Puerto Rico National Chamber of Commerce, the Asociación de Psicología de Puerto Rico, and the Municipality of Villalba, through its Municipal System of Case Investigation and Contact Tracing.
Other collaborators include Taller Salud, Es Mental magazine, Fundación Atención Atención, Center for a New Economy, Instituto Nueva Escuela, Puerto Rico Public Health Trust, Mercy Corps and VOCES PR.
The organization is in talks with the Mayors Association and Federation to establish similar alliances with as many municipalities as possible around the archipelago, she said.
“We urge any group, agency or organization that wishes to use the ‘Aquí Nos Cuidamos Collection,’ whether for their social networks, internal use or for campaigns and health fairs, to contact us. Our content is free for them to make their own,” Ayala-Rosado said.
