Friday, March 20, 2020

Resources to help during COVID-19






City of Aurora
Community Relations Division

15151 E. Alameda Parkway, 4th Floor
Aurora, CO 80012 Phone: 303.739.7280












Community Members:

As our lives and daily routines continue to be impacted by COVID-19, the city of Aurora's Community Relations Division has begun working with various nonprofit organizations, community partners, and other city departments to provide you with ongoing resources to help you and your family during these challenging times. We also need your support as we work to expand our outreach efforts.

What you can do to help:

·     if you are aware of free, local resources (food, medical assistance, educational opportunities for children, online business solutions, etc.) that are available to members of the community, share that information with us so that we can pass it along to our various distribution lists.

·     if you represent a nonprofit organization that would like to partner with our division to expand your services and outreach initiatives, please send your ideas to us as soon as possible.

·     if you represent a local business or community group that would like to provide free resources to members of the community, contact our division so we can explore ways to maximize your opportunities for assistance.

·     share this email with your colleagues, networks, civic and neighborhood groups to help spread the word about available community resources.

Send your ideas, questions, and outreach opportunities to CommunityRel@auroragov.org






Inside this edition of Community Relations COVID-19 resources:

·     Updates from the city of Aurora
·     Talking to children about COVID-19
·     Free online learning resources
·     Support for business owners and at-home workers
·     Staying connected with Internet service
·     Connect for Health Colorado Special Enrollment Period
·     Message from Aurora Mental Health Center






Updates from the city of Aurora:

The city of Aurora has created a webpage specific to the city’s response to COVID-19 where we continuously add resources and links to organizations with facts you need to know like the Tri-County Health Department (our local health agency), the state health department, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The website contains COVID-19 fact sheets and safety tips in English and nine other languages. You can also check the bulletin board on cable channel 22 and follow us @AuroraGov on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and on our agency account on Nextdoor for updates.









Talking to children about COVID-19:

If you need help explaining what a virus is, what this particular virus is, where it came from, why governments and businesses are responding the way they are and similar questions, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Below are some excellent videos you can watch with your children to get the conversation started.

·     BrainPOP’s animated explanation is straightforward but doesn’t talk down to kids and includes a number of activities to extend the conversation.






·     The great kids podcast Brains On! devoted a full episode to COVID-19.









Free online learning resources:

·     Scholastic Learn at Home is offering free lessons; you can choose activities for grade levels between pre-k and 6+. These include e-books kids can read along with, and educational videos under the "Watch and Learn Library."






·     Educational Insights has compiled a set of free at-home worksheets for young learners. Activities cover reading and language arts practice worksheets for grades K-2, spelling riddles for grades 4-6, and math for pre-k-2; as well as coloring, crafts and "brain benders" (word searches, riddles, connect-the-dots and mazes, among other games).






·     Google is offering free virtual tours of more than 1,200 museums across the globe through their Arts and Culture platform.









Support for business owners and at-home workers:

·     LinkedIn is offering 16 of its learning courses for free. Courses that provide tips on how to stay productive, build relationships when you’re not face-to-face, use virtual meeting tools, and balance family and work dynamics in a healthy way. 






·     Jamm is an audio-visual communication tool used by remote and distributed teams. The service is currently available free of change for four months. You can quickly record videos or do a live call with your team. Integrates with Slack.






·     Meero is a file transfer service that offers free large-file transfers to ease remote working. No account needed and all files created between now and June 2020 will be kept active for three months.






·     Facebook has announced a $100 million grant program for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the grants will be distributed in cash, with some ad credits for business services. Businesses do not need to be on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp to apply.









Stay connected during COVID-19:

·     Comcast has increased speeds from 15 Mbps to 25 in "Internet Essentials," a program for low-income families to get internet access. The company has also eliminated the $9.95 price per month and made it free to new low-income customers for two months. Deadline to apply to that program is April 30.









Connect for Health Colorado Special Enrollment Period

An emergency Special Enrollment period has been opened up from Friday, March 20 thru Friday, April 3, 2020 to help as many people as possible protect their health and safety during the COVID-19 outbreak. Coloradans are currently able to get health insurance that starts April 1, 2020

You qualify if you:
·     Currently don’t have health insurance
·     Have recently lost your health insurance
·     Will lose your health insurance soon









A message from Aurora Mental Health Center:

We are hearing about the COVID-19 constantly – on the news, at work, social media – it’s everywhere. With so much talk about COVID-19 many of us are feeling anxious, and this can begin to take a toll on our mental health and well-being, and this includes our children.

Please remember to take care of yourself during this difficult time. Aurora Mental Health Center wants to share five simple suggestions for coping:

·     Listen to your kids, encourage their questions, and provide every assurance that they are safe and that you are caring for them. Remind them of the things you are doing together to stay healthy, like frequently washing hands for 20 seconds with soap and water and limiting social activities.

·     Practice regular deep breathing. Focus on deep breathing for two-minutes every hour to calm your body, oxygenate your brain, and reduce stress. Step outside if you can for maximum effect. Kids need this too!

·     Get outside in the sunshine and play. Fresh air, sunshine and physical movement are proven health enhancers, positively affecting body, mind and emotions. It's a great way of experiencing freedom when we are feeling confined or isolated.

·     Limit exposure to news and social media. Anxiety can be as contagious as any virus. Consider checking for updates on no more than twice daily. Many reliable information sources on COVID-19 are reporting at one specified time each day. Bear in mind that kids are especially susceptible to oversaturation.

And finally, remember that Aurora Mental Health Center is here for you. Please be assured that Aurora Mental Health Center is open for business and continuing to serve the mental health needs of our community. We’ve redesigned our care delivery practices to protect the health of our clients and employees by minimizing face-to-face contact.

·     Most services and care are being provided via telehealth – using phones, video and computer technology. Providers are connecting with clients via phone or email to determine the best method for care.
·     Our Connect2Care clinic provides direct telehealth services at 303-617-2300.
·     Residential and detox services remain open, and Crisis Services are open and available by calling 844-493-8255.









Note: resources contained in this communication were found online or provided to the city of Aurora's Community Relations Division by community partners. References to services, products, or businesses does not represent an endorsement.
Posted by at