JPSealGoldColor150x144.jpg

NEWS RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

October 7, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW ORLEANS RESILIENCE CORPS JOBS
PROGRAM EXPANDS TO COMBAT COVID-19

Resilience Force Recruits Ten New Community Health Workers For Jefferson Parish

JEFFERSON, LA – Resilience Force, an organization dedicated to strengthening our country’s response to disasters including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-related damages following major hurricanes, fires or floods, announces a partnership with Jefferson Parish to expand their reach. This news comes after the creation of the New Orleans Resilience Corps last year.

“I’d like to thank Resilience Force for their important work and commitment to the residents of Jefferson Parish,” said District 3 Councilman Byron Lee. “We look forward to this partnership filling a critical void, enabling our community to rebuild stronger.”

“The data shows that the pandemic has particularly exacerbated issues in the young and underprivileged communities in our parish,” said Executive Assistant Keishelle Jones. “The key to effective recovery is to meet the community where they are through deliberate communicative education and access.”

In this partnership, community health workers will work alongside with the Resilience Corps, in tandem with Jefferson Parish, to carry out community wellness checks across neighboring cities spanning Gretna, Harahan, Kenner, Marrero, Harvey and Westwego. Ranging from ages 18-35, this ten-person team will provide the community with COVID-19 vaccine educational resources as a means to deter the spread and protect its population.

“The expansion of the New Orleans Resilience Corps Program into Jefferson Parish underscores the need for this type of programming not only within New Orleans but nationwide,” says Louisiana Director of Resilience Force LaTanja Silvester, “As COVID-19 continues to surge across the country, it is crucial that we address the public health needs of our communities. This program will help to combat the spread of the pandemic in deeply impacted areas and provide jobs and financial stability for those who critically need it.”

The New Orleans Resilience Corps is a diverse workforce development and jobs program that has been strengthening the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic while creating economic opportunities for those who have lost jobs over the last month. The Corps members have been performing critical functions in limiting the spread of COVID-19 including coordinating with contact tracers, conducting door-to-door canvassing and wellness checks, delivering necessities, connecting residents with city and state services, and more. For communities that have been impacted by the active hurricane season, they have been assisting those who have relocated to ensure they have food, supplies, and shelter. For more information on the New Orleans Resilience Corps please visit https://resilienceforce.org/.

For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.JeffParish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777.

About Resilience Force
Resilience Force is a national nonprofit focused on mobilizing and advocating for the workers who are essential to helping communities recover from disasters, from the construction workers who repair buildings and roads after hurricanes to the healthcare workers who are on the frontlines of the response to COVID-19. Resilience Force works with local municipalities and state governments to recruit, train, deploy, and protect these workers, providing quality employment opportunities to residents while meeting the urgent needs of communities facing natural disasters, public health emergencies, and other crises. The organization draws on these efforts to advocate for the creation of a national, federally funded resilience workforce that will ensure the country is prepared to respond to the increasing number of disasters we face. Resilience Force was founded by Saket Soni in 2019. To learn more about Resilience Force, visit resilienceforce.org or find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

###

Jefferson Parish Public Information Office

1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002

Jefferson, LA 70123

Twitter Blue Logo    Instagram    Facebook logo

JPALERT – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY ALERTS

Gretchen Hirt Gendron, PIO