HealthServe
HealthServe is a Singapore charity that supports migrant workers with medical care, mental health services and casework. We helped it launch a 24-hour crisis helpline for migrant workers, and built the websites and donation tools behind its COVID-19 response.
By the end of 2021
1,800+
calls to the crisis helpline
Outside office hours
50%+
of those calls
COVID-19 websites, 2020
500,000+
page views
The story so far
From a pandemic to a helpline that stays open
- 2020COVID-19 websitesMultilingual information for workers in dormitories, with more than half a million page views.
- June 2021The helpline goes liveThe first version of the 24-hour crisis helpline system went live.
- End of 20211,800+ callsMore than half came in outside office hours, when no clinic was open.
- TodayStill answeringThe helpline is still running, answered by trained staff and volunteers.
The problem
HealthServe is a Singapore charity, founded in 2006, that supports migrant workers with medical care, mental health services, casework and social assistance. It runs on a small team of around 20 staff and a large group of volunteers, with no technical staff.
When COVID-19 arrived, HealthServe lost most of its staff and volunteers. At the same time, workers in dormitories were anxious about their health, their jobs and their families, and more people than ever were visiting HealthServe's website and donating.
In 2021, HealthServe planned a 24-hour crisis helpline for migrant workers facing mental health issues, including thoughts of suicide. Volunteers needed to take calls from wherever they were, and every call had to be recorded and linked to a case.
What we built
The crisis helpline
We helped HealthServe implement a 24-hour crisis helpline for migrant workers, and an emergency fund disbursement system.
COVID-19 websites
A multilingual COVID-19 page, a breathing exercise tool in four languages, a medical resource page for healthcare workers, and the Solidarity Wall.
Migrant Worker Resource Centre
Supported together with HealthServe and NVPC.
migrantworkers.helpcentre.sg
Where it landed
By the end of 2021, the crisis helpline had taken over 1,800 calls, and more than half came outside office hours, when no clinic was open.
HealthServe's COVID-19 websites received more than half a million page views in 2020.
The helpline is still running today, answered by trained staff and volunteers.
Flexible support and a good understanding of solutions provided.