how the Red Cross had to reinvent itself with the health crisis

Support for patient transport, participation in the testing campaign, social assistance for students, the Côte-d’Or Red Cross has been participating in the plan to fight Covid-19 since March 2020. The association has seen its number of interventions and volunteers increase in one year.

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This May 8 is the World Day of Red Cross. The French humanitarian aid association created in 1864 now has nearly 1,037 local units in the territory, including 4 in Côte-d’Or in Beaune, Dijon, Montbard and Châtillon-sur-Seine. For the latter, it was necessary to adapt from the first confinement to participate in the plan to fight against Covid-19.

Over the whole of last year, nearly 9,300 hours of interventions were carried out by the volunteers of the Red Cross in Côte-d’Or, in particular with the activation of the departmental crisis unit. facing the coronavirus pandemic from March 15, 2020. Between March 11 and October 1, 2020, 50 volunteers per day therefore carried out specific actions in the field. “We had a lot of activity. In the health context, we were able to modernize and adapt. We noticed an evolution in our actions which allowed us to meet the requirements of the authorities”, explains Christophe Talmet, director ofDijon Métropole local unit.

First logistical emergency, the agents of the association in Côte-d’Or have contributed to the transport of 50 people affected by the pathology or of the homeless to containment centers every day, in particular thanks to the specific arrangement of a minibus. The Red Cross has also participated in setting up coronavirus screening structures in the department. 32 centers were launched between June 7 and October 1, 2020 in the Côte-d’Orien sector. “We have developed equipment that allows us to set up a unit for 400 people in 45 minutes with 10 volunteers”, specifies Christophe Talmet.

Moral support in times of crisis

But with the prolongation of the health crisis, it is also on the social level that it has been necessary to intervene. The association’s regional delegations have notably taken action in the fight against isolation. As a reminder, the actions of the Red Cross with the population fall into 3 aspects: responding to social emergencies, carrying out first aid missions and training the public. In times of Covid, local units continued to intervene with the most vulnerable audiences to respect the first of its prerogatives. “We are working with the most vulnerable on these different aspects”, affirms the president of the local unit of Dijon Métropole.

The association notably launched the telephone platform “Hello how are you ?” which allows isolated people to find someone to talk to and who also provides follow-up for the transport of people affected by the coronavirus and for the distribution of meals. These are 2 volunteers who respond to calls made every day.

At the same time, the association continues to lead marauding every night to distribute meals to precarious people but also to fight against the social misery of isolated citizens in the department. “There is a social dimension around the marauding that goes beyond food distribution. We provide a form of psychological support”, says Christophe Talmet. Each evening, 55 people receive meals provided by volunteers from the local Dijon Métropole unit.