Kate Fiandt, PhD, and Mark Darby of the UNMC College of Nursing, along with other members of the North Omaha Area Health (NOAH) Clinic’s COVID Conversation Team, have been awarded the Martin Luther King Drum Major for Advocacy Award from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Omaha.
The award was presented Jan. 16 during the 38th Annual Unity Service in recognition of the group’s advocacy work for the North Omaha community.
Dr. Fiandt is clinical professor and associate dean for Transformational Practice and Partnerships at the UNMC College of Nursing. She also is a volunteer clinician at NOAH and principal investigator on a HRSA grant at NOAH. Darby, a registered nurse, is clinical instructor for the College of Nursing and clinical director of NOAH.
In late April 2020, along with Pastor Portia Cavitt from Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, the team launched COVID Community Conversations, a weekly Facebook Live event to provide residents of North Omaha with trusted information about the pandemic. CHI Health’s infectious disease expert David Quimby, MD, also participated.
In announcing the award, organizers said: “It is difficult to measure the impact of any one community intervention in a pandemic as complex and long-lasting as this one, but there is not a doubt that COVID Community Conversations has served as an essential source of information and support to the residents of north Omaha throughout this difficult time.
NOAH provides free health care services to individuals in three ZIP code areas: 68110, 68111 and 68104. Last year, NOAH had 1,650 clients of all ages and needs; the majority of whom do not have insurance and would not have been able to receive care elsewhere. Since the pandemic began, NOAH has provided over 64 community events for COVID testing or vaccination.
Congratulations, Kate and Team. Jan Atwood, Retired Professor