In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese-Canadian community has faced increased stigma and racism in the form of racist attacks and hate crimes.
The mental and social impacts of the crisis on the community is considerable, and mirrors experiences during the 2003 SARS outbreak.
To provide easy-to-access mental health tools and resources, a group of Ryerson University researchers have launched an online resource hub through PROTECH (Pandemic Rapid-response Optimization To Enhance Community-Resilience and Health), a community-based action project supported by the federal government’s New Frontiers in Research Fund.
The multilingual hub provides information and news on COVID-19, and offers mental health support and coping strategies through a live-chat function, text or phone calls. It also features a community engagement forum in which people can share experiences and advocate for social justice and policy changes. The goal is to reduce the negative psycho-social impacts of the pandemic.
PROTECH is led by Ryerson’s Josephine P. Wong and Mandana Vahabi, Regent Park Community Health Centre’s Dr. Alan Li and University Health Network’s Dr. Kenneth P. Fung.
Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam called the project “a step in the right direction” during in a press conference on May 4.
“Just as we knew in 2003 when the SARS outbreak first took hold, not every community was bearing that responsibility proportionally,” Wong-Tam said. “There were some that were asked to carry additional burdens, Chinese-Canadian and East Asian communities were experiencing xenophobia and racism. The fear today – and it’s coming true – is that the community is once again living with those social harms. That’s why this conversation is important.”
Those most affected in the community are seniors, families with pre-existing economic hardships and those living with chronic mental illnesses. The hope is that PROTECH, which was built on insight and lessons learned from the SARS outbreak, will provide mental health literacy and encourage community resilience.
Although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $240-million investment into virtual mental health services on Sunday – with consideration for marginalized communities – PROTECH’s project is not part of that funding.
“If the prime minister is listening, we are asking for more support,” Fung said during the conference. “The funding announcement is certainly great news. While we know and have identified gaps and services for the Chinese community, the reality is that most initiatives and much of the funding you hear about doesn’t filter down to marginalized groups or smaller organizations. That funding often goes to bigger, mainstream agencies, which large minority groups often can’t access.”
That’s largely due to language and culture barriers, he adds, issues PROTECH is hoping to break down.
Later this month, the organization will also launch PACER, an online training program to help frontline workers and those directly affected by the pandemic.
