COVID community outreach, teen-style
By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
In early July tourists were swarming Leelanau County, large crowds were gathering, COVID-19 cases were rising—particularly among teenagers and 20-somethings—and the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department needed help.
“We were completely maxed out,” said health officer Lisa Peacock. “The surge in cases had strained our capacity. While we love doing outreach, we had to focus our efforts on case investigations and contact tracing and testing.”
The department issued a public health alert on July 17 stating that 16 young people between ages 15-23 linked to the Leland community had recently tested positive for the coronavirus. These public health alerts have made the rounds of local media outlets and have been shared frequently on the Facebook accounts of parents and grandparents ever since the pandemic arrived in March. But the message quite possibly wasn’t reaching teens and 20-somethings.
Up stepped Leland resident Johnston Mitchell, who has a communications background and two teenage daughters. Mitchell suggested that the health department develop a “Teen Toolkit” and he contacted area high schools to find volunteers. His daughter Helene, who just graduated from Leland High School and will study at the University of Michigan this fall, designed four posters and wrote teen-friendly copy for them.
A team of teens hung and affixed to walls nearly 100 posters from Northport down to Empire. But Helene wasn’t among them. Twice she has had to quarantine because she may have been exposed to COVID through friends or colleagues. Instead, her younger sister Flora, who will be a sophomore at Leland this fall, lead the distribution and posting effort.
“I know multiple friends that have tested positive, and because of that I am in quarantine and am going to be very careful when I start to leave the house,” said Helene. “My circle of friends has definitely shrunk.”
The posters, themselves, are colorful and engaging, and use pictures as much as words to deliver the message. One read: “Washing Up. Wearing Masks. Social Distancing. No Crowded Gatherings. BET.”
“We used the posters to spread the word,” said Helene. “This approach allowed the posters to be designed in a way that would catch teenagers’ eyes. The posters feature only a few words, but make it clear that it is critical to social distance and wear a mask. Some of the posters are pretty cheesy and colorful, but I think that honestly draws attention to them. They serve as a good reminder to the community that COVID is still happening.”
Health officer Peacock conceded that she and her colleagues didn’t understand some of the language used on the posters, but they didn’t mind.
“It must mean that it speaks to the younger generation. I think they consume information differently. It’s hard for us in our age group to keep up with that. We need to have the perspective of our stakeholders. We were happy that they were able to create what spoke to their peers. It certainly wouldn’t have been the design that I would have come up with.”
When word of the Leelanau County teens’ effort spread through regional media, a community partner in Benzie County also contacted the health department. The teenagers hope to team up with the health department and launch an Instagram-driven social media push soon. After all, Instagram—far more than Facebook—is one of the favorite apps for teens and 20-somethings.
“In public health, we can’t do this alone,” said Peacock. “Public information has been a huge part of the pandemic response. So we’re happy when anybody reaches out. They’re setting a great example for all of us. They see this as a problem for their peer group. They know they can help.”
Since mid-July, the curve has flattened somewhat in Leelanau County, though the health department did report five new cases (and two in Benzie) between July 25-27; four of those seven are under age 30.
“I’m pleased that the number of cases per day has gone down,” said Peacock. “I don’t know if that’s attributable to increased awareness among teens. But I can’t imagine it’s not a part of it.”
Every reminder of the pandemic helps, said Helene.
“I think the posters and campaign just serve as a good reminder to be safe,” she said. “It is easy as a teenager during the summer to forget to grab your mask or stay six feet apart. We are young and still trying to navigate how to behave during this pandemic.”
