Humanitarian aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will be operating for the first time within Canada when it provides assistance to homeless Torontonians amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of the city’s doctors announced Monday.
According to a news release from Inner City Health Associates (ICHA), MSF Canada will help with organizing Toronto’s first COVID-19 “recovery site,” a 400-bed social support project aimed at treating members of the city’s homeless population who have contracted the novel coronavirus.
“This aligned action reflects the severity of COVID-19, its profound impact on homelessness in Toronto and the urgent need to mount a massive response beyond ICHA’s current capacity,” ICHA medical director Dr. Andrew Bond said in a news release.
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MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, is an international NGO that focuses on providing medical aid in some of the world’s poorest regions.
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The group’s executive director, Joseph Belliveau, said the magnitude of the virus’ impact on vulnerable groups, like Canada’s homeless population,
