College rooms turn into tele-counselling, quarantine facility

Loyola Telecare For COVID functions with an eleven-member team of volunteers

The Loyola College staff room and Berchman Illam (near the Basketball Court) have been repurposed to establish the Loyola Telecare For COVID (LT4C). Managed by a 11-member volunteer force consisting of students and staff, the facility now has four lines — 044-2817 8295, 2817 8296, 28178297, 28178298 — and is operated between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. all days of the week. The volunteers answer questions posed by COVID-19 positive persons or those showing symptoms and their caregivers; offer emotional support for those in distress; and counselling for those racked by fear and anxiety. “In the first wave, we only helped the Greater Chennai Corporation set up a telecare centre. Now, we have a full-fledged facility functioning from the college and there is a plan to scale up the operation depending on the need,” says Fr. M S Jacob, assistant professor, Department of Social Work. He and his team are assisting Fr. Thomas Amirtham who is coordinating the initiative. Besides the volunteers who operate from the college premises, LT4C is also helped by remote counsellors who carry out the work from the comfort of their homes.