The patient who called the health center, where Primary Care Coordinator Sarah D. works, calmly explained that she was living in a tent in her back yard. She had tested positive for COVID-19 and didn’t need to be hospitalized, but wanted to be sure she didn’t infect her family at home.
“This is the kind of thing people are facing,” Sarah said. “Right away, I knew I could find community resources to help her out, beyond how we could also help in the health center.
“I could recommend food banks near her, resources for ways to prepare food safely, the best ways to clean and disinfect, and, of course, how she could sign up for aid programs. It was amazing to see how our staff in the health center mobilized quickly to help this patient if she needed it. And she said that what she was most concentrated on was quarantining for long enough to be safe to go back to work.”
In the era of COVID, Sarah spends a great deal of time on the phone with patients who have chronic health problems and need help managing their symptoms, whether that means coming in to the health center, being referred to more community resources, or navigating hospital care systems. Or all three. She often talks to patients frequently and comes to know them – about their lives, their families -- over the phone.
“Recently, one older couple came in after both had had COVID, and one had been in the hospital. I had spoken with them many times while helping them to navigate the hospital. Again, many in the health center had been working together as a team to help them, monitoring their symptoms as they recovered,” Sarah said.
“They actually asked to meet me when they were well enough to come in to the health center. Of course, I felt like I’d already met them. But it was great to see them in person – and doing well!”
Tags: friendship, aid, community_assistance