Resilience Among Small Community-based Organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights for Future Public Health Crises

Abstract

Abstract:The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has created numerous challenges for many community-based organizations to sustain delivery of services and programs. This paper offers perspectives from leadership of three small community-based organizations serving diverse populations in the Hartford, Connecticut, region on how they were impacted and responded to disruptions during the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Community-based organizations' commitment to the populations they serve and agility with regard to programming, staffing, and finances were highlighted as key to their resilience, enabling them to serve their clients with stability. The ability to collect information on the impact of the pandemic on clients supported by a well-established, long-term partnership with researchers at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Institute for Community Research facilitated their making data-driven decisions on how to best allocate limited resources. The lessons learned about organizational challenges and resilience may be applicable to future public health emergencies.