COVID-19

COVID-19 How did we respond?

EDQ is committed to delivering our support services in a safe, practical and innovative way. In March 2020, following the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Australia, we closed our physical offices and commited to providing online support until we could safely return to in-person services.

EDQ’s culture has been and still is about strong community connection, recovery, hope and resilience. As a team we worked hard at translating our core values into services that are meaningful, aids ongoing recovery, connection, and community generated support.

Mindful that the increased difficulty in accessing standard grocery items, along with the forced physical isolation that many of our clients found themselves facing, could lead to increased eating disorder symptomology and distress, EDQ committed to transferring the majority of their support services to online delivery.

This was achieved very quickly, with minimal disruption to scheduled programs. Where a group could not be held online, as with Community Table, a temporary proxy was created in the form of 1:1 meal support sessions with a Support Worker. Additional funding from Qld Health enabled EDQ to provide a ‘Rapid Response Model’, providing increased support to those clients experiencing high acuity due to COVID-19, with the aim of diversion away from presenting at hospital if they are better suited for support and care within a community setting.

Additionally, we significantly increased our social media presence, with staff providing regular mindfulness and wellness tips inspired by their own experiences of working from home. Clients were also encouraged to share their experiences with us, with some clients providing self-care tips, or silver linings. We created an activity guide, filled with free resources that could be accessed easily from home. Our cooking volunteer Anastasia created several nutritious and simple recipes that relied only on easily-sourced ingredients, and filmed cooking tutorial videos along with our General Manager Belinda.

Finally, EDQ staff ensured they remained visible to our clients, sharing frequent ‘group photos’ during Zoom meetings and morning teas with clients. This allowed clients to remain engaged with the team, as would normally occur naturally when they entered the building for an appointment.

During this period, we saw an increase of 54% in the number of client contacts with EDQ, reflecting a high number of both existing and new clients in need of support. While some clients found that the period of time spent in the home environment allowed them the space to focus on recovery, others found that the stressors of the situation led to an increase in severity or frequency of symptoms. Regardless of the situation, EDQ committed to maintaining a steady community presence, as well as providing support services to those who required it.

PLENTY OF ZOOM CALLS!