Windsor Regional Hospital is giving people a chance to ask questions of those who have had or are currently dealing with COVID-19.
The idea came from June Muir, the CEO of Windsor's Unemployed Help Centre and one of the first people with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the region. She reached out to hospital staff to see how she could share her experience and help others.
Hospital Spokesperson, Allison Johnson, says in the beginning, it was tough because there wasn't a lot of information available to people on COVID-19.
"And if you think about it, if you get diagnosed with something, after that initial shock the first thing you're probably going to do is go research it," she says. "You go talk to other people who have gone through this, find out everything you can about what's going on inside of you, what your options are and what you can expect going forward."
Johnson says the community will have the opportunity to ask questions and is hoping the discussion will help keep people safe going forward.
"We're encouraging people either to send questions in advance, they can send them to cwc@wrh.on.ca or they can post them live in real time," she says. "Each episode will have different quests they can ask questions to and different topics."
"You hear people say 'I don't know anyone who has it,' but they're out there," says Johnson. "There are many in our community actually and just because we don't know them doesn't mean that it's not happening and hopefully by sharing this information and putting a face on it, it will do exactly that, to help as a prevention measure as well."
The first of six conversations happens one week from today, November 18, and will be a Facebook Live discussion for those diagnosed with COVID-19, survivors, long haulers, loved ones and anyone who just
wants to learn more about the virus.