Shanghai Recruits 'Community Health Ambassadors' as Grassroots Medication Coordinators to Support Emergency Medical Platform

“Can the medications on the list be purchased? My father has hyperphosphatemia and other complications, and he has run out of medication for the past few days!” In a community WeChat group in Shanghai, a patient’s family member asked anxiously. She soon received a reassuring reply: “Please don’t worry. I’ll resolve this for you today by coordinating with the emergency supply platform.”

In some communities in Shanghai, a group of volunteers dedicated to helping residents overcome difficulties in seeking medical care and purchasing medications has begun to emerge. They are active in community chat groups and shuttle between residential buildings... These “frontline” guardians against the epidemic are affectionately referred to by residents as “Community Health Ambassadors.”

To make every possible effort to ensure access to medical consultations and medications for patients with severe chronic conditions, Shanghai is about to fully launch the “Shanghai Medical Insurance and Medicine Emergency Platform.” To enhance last-mile delivery capabilities, the platform has initiated a citywide recruitment campaign for “Community Health Ambassadors,” seeking volunteers who can assist residents in their communities with accessing medical care and medications. Since the launch of the recruitment drive, hundreds of volunteers across Shanghai have signed up to become Community Health Ambassadors, with some already rapidly deploying to deliver medications within their communities.

It is reported that the “Shanghai Medical Insurance and Medicine Emergency Platform,” a critical emergency platform for ensuring medical services and drug supplies during Shanghai’s epidemic response, was initially launched by the Shanghai Digital Medical Innovation Center in collaboration with healthcare institutions such as WeDoctor and Ruijin Hospital, as well as pharmaceutical companies. The platform is currently actively mobilizing physicians across China to prioritize providing online consultations, follow-up visits and medication purchases, drug delivery, and health management services to patients with severe chronic conditions in Shanghai.

The emergency platform has also established an emergency medication delivery team composed of professionals, deploying them to the front lines of the pandemic response to provide urgent medication delivery services to patients in critical need within “locked-down” areas. Meanwhile, by collaborating with logistics and distribution companies as well as pharmaceutical commercial enterprises, the platform has further strengthened its medication supply capabilities, with a particular focus on ensuring drug availability for patients with severe chronic conditions. The recruitment of “Community Health Ambassadors” serves as an extension of this initiative, ensuring unobstructed access to medical and pharmaceutical services for patients with urgent needs, such as those with severe chronic diseases. It is reported that some patients with severe chronic conditions were able to receive their medications the very next day after completing online follow-up consultations and placing orders on the platform.

“‘Community Health Ambassadors’ are community-based, providing residents with access to online consultations, emergency medication coordination, and direct linkage to guaranteed drug supplies. By creating a closed-loop service model, they deliver more professional, timely, and controllable services to address residents’ urgent needs,” introduced Zhang Yingfu, Deputy Frontline Commander of the platform in Shanghai. The primary responsibilities of Health Ambassadors include guiding community residents—particularly patients with severe chronic diseases who require medical care and medication—to conduct online follow-up consultations and purchase medications. They also coordinate with professional delivery personnel outside the community, and either personally handle or mobilize community volunteers to complete the delivery of relevant medications.

Recruitment for “Community Health Ambassadors” is currently underway. The platform is leveraging multiple channels to engage more enthusiastic Shanghai residents, particularly doctors, pharmacists, and psychological counselors with professional backgrounds, to achieve broader grid-based coverage across communities. This initiative aims to light the “lamp of health” for every community on the front lines of epidemic prevention and control, helping more patients access timely medical consultations and obtain medications. Meanwhile, the emergency platform will implement strict vetting procedures and provide pre-service training for all volunteers to ensure compliance with epidemic control requirements.

As the period of static management extends, many patients with severe chronic diseases in Shanghai are facing medication shortages. For those who rely on daily medication to control their conditions, running out of drugs undoubtedly means racing against the “Grim Reaper.” The “Shanghai Medical Insurance Emergency Drug Platform,” along with the “Community Health Ambassadors” who will be deployed across Shanghai in the future, will build a robust health “fortress” for more patients with severe chronic diseases.

“Amid the pandemic, ‘Community Health Ambassadors’ are not only helping others through concrete actions but also bringing warmth and inspiration to communities and society, thereby conveying our confidence in winning the fight against the epidemic.” Dr. Wang Yang, President and Chief Technology Officer of WeDoctor and Commander-in-Chief of the Frontline Emergency Platform, called on more caring individuals to join hands, support one another during these challenging times, contribute to Shanghai’s epidemic control efforts, and safeguard our shared home.