The amount of COVID-19 information can be overwhelming at times, and even more so if English is a second language.
The Alberta International Medical Graduates Association (AIMGA) is looking to solve this problem by holding COVID-19 information sessions in six different languages.
Deidre Lake, executive director of AIMGA, said the group’s roster of multilingual health professionals wanted to help inform as many Albertans as possible.
“We were looking for ways to get involved and to support the community,” said Lake. “We decided to reach out to communities to give information because there was a lot of confusing messages around COVID-19.”
AIMGA has developed videos in Arabic, Malayalam, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog and Tigrinya.
It then launched its webinar series in early May, using Zoom to allow attendees to ask questions during the sessions.
Edna Ramirez Cerino, who is leading the Spanish sessions, said she’s noticed how comfortable people are when hearing important information in their first language.
“They get to talk to someone who knows about the topic and who is always up to date with what’s going on,” said Ramirez Cerino. “(We) also understand their background and their culture.”
Michael Youssef, who runs the Arabic sessions, said he’s had to navigate unique cultural challenges that are not always addressed by health officials
“(In some Arabic cultures) we don’t have this social distance. When I greet you, I have to hug you or give you kisses,” said Youssef. “(Giving that up) was very tough for them.”
The sessions are free and are posted online for those who miss them.
AIMGA hopes to add more languages as community members reach out for more COVID-19 information.
Cargill calls
The online webinars are not AIMGA’s first time translating COVID-19 information.
Lake said the group was asked to help contact employees from the Cargill meatpacking plant in High River, Alta., as the facility grappled with the largest outbreak in Alberta.
AIMGA members made more than 500 hundred phone calls in order to speak to each employee one on one.
Lake said facilitators answered questions about the virus that claimed one of their co-workers.
“There were certainly lots of concerns about their own health and how to isolate safely,” said Lake. “(The death) resulted in a lot of fear for employees. When members were calling different families to talk to them, there was certainly a lot of concerns.”
Lake said 60 per cent of the calls were to Filipino-speaking employees, and four AIMGA members handled those calls.
Ramirez Cerino spoke to some of the Spanish-speaking employees and said that the conversations generally ended with employees having a better understanding of the situation.
“A few of them said at the end that they were really grateful for (us) calling in their own language,” she said.
Lake said the experience of calling Cargill employees helped to shape the information sessions now offered by the group.
Alberta resources
The Alberta government also has COVID-19 resources available in 15 languages on its website.
This includes frequently asked questions, travel alerts and COVID-19 symptoms.
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