COVID-19 & Air Quality Support
EMAN began in 2020 to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood.
Three years later, as local, state, and federal governments abandon pandemic support, we acknowledge that COVID-19 continues to be a mass-death and mass-disabling event which we cannot move on from. The goal of mutual aid is to provide collective care in the face of state abandonment, and we refuse to leave behind immunocompromised and disabled members of our community. Additionally, in summer 2023, air quality from the Canadian wildfires presents health risks, exposing people to allergens and dangerous chemicals in the air, making it difficult to breathe and causing negative health effects.
Thanks to donations from Project N95, we are working to provide our community with PPE at our weekly food distribution. We are also working to get our community more access to air purification, and education. And, we are acknowledging the collective trauma of this moment in virtual grief circle events.
If you would like to request PPE, COVID-19 tests, and more aid, call or text our hotline at 312-324-4378, or request aid through our form here.
More COVID-19 & Air Quality Resources
The People’s CDC is a coalition of public health practitioners, scientists, healthcare workers, educators, advocates and people from all walks of life working to reduce the harmful impacts of COVID-19. They provide guidance and policy recommendations to governments and the public on COVID-19, disseminating evidence-based updates that are grounded in equity, public health principles, and the latest scientific literature. You can find the latest COVID data in their weekly weather reports.
Project N95 is a national non-profit working to protect people and their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Through their shop, they provide equitable access to affordable, authentic N95 respirators, KN95 and KF94 masks, kids masks, COVID-19 tests, and other products. Through advocacy, education, and distribution of vetted goods and services, they strive to keep everyone safe and informed. If you’re unable to afford high-quality respiratory protection, you can request free masks here.
The COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project (C19LAP) was founded in June of 2020 and has since become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. C19LAP is an all volunteer organization which is patient and/ or caretaker led. Their mission is to advance the understanding of Long COVID and its associated conditions (LCAC) and expedite solutions and assistance to Longhaulers and their families through advocacy, education, research and support. Find a Long COVID competent doctor here.
@CovidCautiousChicago is an Instagram account dedicated to showcasing businesses and organizations in the Chicagoland area that continue to require masks and take other COVID-safety precautions.
Clean Air Club provides free HEPA air purifiers to Chicago artists, making Chicago's arts spaces COVID-safer and more accessible. It's good for performers, it's good for us, and it's good for the long-term health of our thriving creative scene.