{"id":5819,"date":"2020-12-16T14:31:04","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T19:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.providecare.org\/?p=5819"},"modified":"2024-09-16T17:15:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T17:15:36","slug":"shift-to-virtual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.providecare.org\/blog\/shift-to-virtual\/","title":{"rendered":"The Shift to Virtual"},"content":{"rendered":"

Provide has always prided itself on meeting providers where they are, training them on the best practices to refer abortions. And this doesn\u2019t just mean physically — although Leigh\u00a0Koetsch<\/a>, Training and Outreach Coordinator, can share a time that she trained folks in a room the size of a closet or the countless other times she drove miles and miles to rural communities — but our team also meets providers at a personal level. Providers are just people and they show up with stigma and bias, so our team works to build strong and meaningful relationships with everyone that attends. The end goal?\u00a0We aim to\u00a0eradicate stigma and eliminate misinformation so that providers change institutional practices that respect bodily autonomy for all clients.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When COVID-19 hit the country this spring, our compassionate team wondered how they would still foster those relationships without the ability to connect in person. And it wasn\u2019t long before a membership association, serving substance abuse organizations, reached out to offer our trusted curriculum to their membership.<\/p>\n

In our strategic planning, we started thinking about adding virtual trainings. This year we originally planned to adhere to our usual methodology of rolling out new platforms and programs: pilot, receive feedback, evaluate, readjust, launch. With the onset of closures and quarantine, our process was expediated. With staff that rallies in the moment, it was no surprise that two of our Training and Outreach Coordinators rose their hands to take the lead.<\/p>\n

Sarah Cannady<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Leigh\u00a0Koetsch\u00a0said, \u201cWhile they would have loved more time, sometimes you just have to jump right in.\u201d That\u2019s exactly what they did,\u00a0while\u00a0also\u00a0considering\u00a0Provide\u2019s\u00a0philosophy of meeting providers where they are, as they developed the platform.\u00a0The first step: understanding best practices to facilitate engaged online programs. A few must-haves were developed:<\/p>\n