COG, in its inception, was born to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic created an immense and urgent need to get testing resources, shots in arms, and vital life-saving health information to the hardest-to-reach communities that were being disproportionately impacted by the health emergency. COG’s outreach associates became trusted messengers in the communities we served and connected residents to testing sites, vaccination appointments, and other critical resources like rental assistance and SNAP.

COVID-19 gave millions of Americans the unique opportunity to gain healthcare coverage under Medicaid for the first time—expanded eligibility led to millions of new Medicaid recipients. However, the end of the public health emergency has put them at risk of losing their coverage, and many residents still remain unaware of this. COG can help residents with the administrative burden associated with the redetermination process or direct them to affordable health insurance options, allowing them to stay covered and access the care they need to remain healthy.

Similarly, natural disasters are evidently more prevalent as the world fights against global warming. Not only is the occurrence of natural disasters increasing, but the average cost and the death toll continue to rise in recent years. Although we can’t completely prevent these events from happening, we can educate and prepare residents before disaster strikes. The COG team can provide communities with mitigation and preparedness plans, evacuation routes, and critical information to know. Post-disaster, our teams assist in tracking down affected residents to assist with housing insurance applications, financial assistance options, and other disaster relief benefits.