A total of 82 member of Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) of Medellin underwent trainings last September 3, 11, and October 16, 2020.
The trainings are part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ReachHealth Project administered by the RTI International to provide technical assistance to the Local Government Units (LGUs) of Medellin, Tabuelan, Bogo City, and San Remigio in the implementation of various capacity-building activities to support community-based COVID-19 response to delay, contain the transmission of COVID-19, and mitigate the effects of the pandemic in their localities.
The trainings were organized by the Visayas Primary Healthcare Services, Inc. (VPHCS) which implements the COVID-19 response project.
Two batches had their trainings on September 3 in the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) and the Medellin Central School and the third batch was on September 11 in the Central School. On October 16, all the BHERTs had their second day of the training in the MDRRMO and the Central School.
They were barangay health workers (BHWs), barangay captains, barangay councilors, barangay tanods and barangay nutrition scholars (BNS).
The topics for the first day on Sept. 8 and Sept. 11 covered the following, namely; basic information about COVID-19, policies regarding BHERTs, roles and functions of BHERT, forms to be filled up by the BHERTs regarding contacts, guidelines in conducting home visits for BHERTs, infection prevention and control (IPC), and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE). The topics for the second day on Oct. 16 covered gender-based violence, adolescents concerns and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
The resource persons and facilitators for the two trainings included Lora Manigos, Crescenciana Labitad, Lucila Carreon, Armel Pontillas, Irish Grace Ramirez, Jerhald Agcang and Lourdes Geolin. They are all staff members of the VPHCS.
The VPHCS coordinated with the Association of Barangay Councils under President Edwin Salimbangon and the office of the mayor to organize the trainings.