Addressing community needs and preparing for the secondary impacts of Covid-19

Flattening the curve of Covid-19 infections and deaths requires a multidisciplinary approach where health care, government, and community all play a role. But the impact of this pandemic extends far beyond the illness itself — and right now, a separate curve tied to the need for essential resources is surging as the secondary impacts of Covid-19 ignite. In the same way that there has been a global call to action to “flatten the curve” of coronavirus infections through interventions like social distancing, there must also be a new call to action to ensure that our most vulnerable have food, housing, health, mental health, and other essential resources. The CEOs of Health Leads and Hopelab provide learnings from the field, and a framework for understanding the dimensions of the growing gap between essential resource needs and the capacity to meet those needs, which includes the ability to effectively coordinate resources and facilitate cross-sector collaboration as we rebuild systems with sustainable solutions.