How The Beacon’s COVID-19 Help Desk will help meet Kansas City’s information challenges

Restrictions, guidelines and school operations are just some of the things that will change as we transition to a post-pandemic world.

The Beacon, an online newsroom serving Missouri and Kansas, was originally set to kick off in late 2020, but COVID-19 had other ideas. Realizing the need for trusted health care coverage, The Beacon began publishing early last March.

Now, as we mark the one year anniversary since the pandemic began, the demand for local information is only growing.

When we ask our readers what they need from us, they often describe difficulties with navigating systems. Things like city regulations, health care access and school district policies are often points of pandemic confusion. We’ve also noticed that among our highest trafficked stories online are the ones that provide news you can use — like the Missouri and Kansas Voter guides and stories on navigating unemployment payment delays.

With news around COVID-19 changing so often, people need quick answers.

The Beacon’s newest program — the COVID-19 Help Desk — will answer Kansas City’s COVID-19 questions. This project will speed up the distribution of facts through short explainers and guides that companion the solutions and investigative pieces we also run.

With the COVID-19 Help Desk, I’ll respond to reader questions directly as they come in, and publish updates weekly on our website and newsletter. I’ll be calling on a list of local subject-matter experts to assure we provide the most up-to-date information.

We’re committing editorial support staff (copy editor, social media producer, editor, etc.) to provide this information in accessible formats to ensure this reporting reaches people looking for answers.

We also are launching vaccine information roundups for both Missouri and Kansas. Each week, I’ll update information on vaccination phases and progress.

We’re stepping up service-oriented content now because as the vaccine rolls out, we anticipate ongoing change in our daily lives. COVID-19 restrictions, guidelines from health professionals and school operations are just some of the things that will change as we transition to a post-pandemic world.

You can submit questions to me through email, brittany@thebeacon.media, or you can call or text our COVID-19 hotline: 913–608–4777.

You can also submit questions through The Beacon’s social media channels — Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.