The Bellingen Shire Pandemic Response Group has added another layer to its proactive initiatives - a website and a call centre.
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The new website at www.bellingenshireconnects.com.au is an online resource for sharing information and explaining what the various sections of the pandemic response group are doing to support our community through the coronavirus crisis.
The call centre has a team of trained volunteers on the phone answering queries and connecting callers with the right piece of information or the right person or group to help solve their problem.
Located at the Youth Hub, the Bellingen Shire Connections Centre will have four people taking calls on (02) 5627 6001 from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday, and will expand its operation to meet demand if necessary.
Kicking off a training session for the volunteers on Friday, pandemic response group facilitator Dean Besley gave a brief overview of how council and community organisations have collaborated to establish several action groups, each with a different focus.
The Clinical Action Group is operating the COVID-19 testing clinic, and was responsible for diagnosing the shire's first confirmed case last week.
The Neighbourhood Care Network is coordinating a grassroots support system of neighbours helping neighbours and would like every household to sign up.
There's also a Business Support and Adaptation Action Group organised by the Chambers of Commerce and a Services and Support Action Group being run by the Neighbourhood Centres.
But the missing element was a single point of contact.
Dean said they realised about two weeks ago that as the pandemic ramps up, anxious people were going to need a central hub for information - not just online material but also real people to answer their questions.
"If you're not sure who to call, call the Connections Centre," he said. "Call us and we'll help."
The centre is using a three-tiered model of support.
If it's a simple question, the volunteer on the phone will answer it and perhaps direct the caller to a section on the website or to one of the action groups.
For more complex queries, there's a team of knowledgeable, well-connected locals who can identify or help provide a solution.
And at the highest level of need, there are professional counsellors, youth workers, social workers and service providers available on standby.
The website at www.bellingenshireconnects.com.au and the Bellingen Shire Connections Centre on (02) 5627 6001 went live on Monday morning.