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NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT’S LATEST !PREPARATE! PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS IN A CONVERSATION WITH DORIS GARRIDO FROM THE EAST HARLEM COAD


¡Prepárate! {Click here to listen to episode 26}


April 25, 2025 – In honor of April as volunteer appreciation month, the latest ¡Prepárate! episode highlights the importance of community preparedness with East Harlem COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster) Co-Captain Doris Garrido. As the co-leader of a coalition of local organizations and businesses who work to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters Garrido works to provide information and resources for any emergencies that affect the lives of East Harlem residents.


The East Harlem COAD was founded in 2015 and birthed out of the EH Emergency Preparedness Collaborative, after a building explosion in the neighborhood on March 12, 2014, that claimed the lives of eight people and displaced over 100 families. The collaborative acknowledged the need to put their ideas into action and focus on hyperlocal preparedness, response and recovery. The EAST Harlem COAD currently has 27 members inclusive of health centers, community organizations, faith-based organizations, small businesses and individual members.


“What I’m most proud of is our flexibility and creativity in responding based on our community’s’ specific needs,” said Doris Garrido, East Harlem COAD Co-Captain. “For example, we expanded to focusing on mental health during COVID, created guidance on sharing space during COVID for multigenerational households that maybe didn't have the luxury of social distancing in their homes when someone was positive.”


You can listen to ¡Prepárate! on SoundCloud.

Profile


Doris Garrido, LMHC, LMHC-QS has over 15 years of experience in care management and behavioral health, including director-level roles at a federally qualified health center in East Harlem, NY, where she focused on strategic development, grants, emergency preparedness, supporting teams and enhancing systems and the patient experience. For the past eight years, she has served as co-captain of the East Harlem Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD). Currently, Ms. Garrido also operates a mental health private practice serving clients in New York and Florida. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from Bridgewater State University, and a bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University.

  


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