Azul Enriquez, left, her mother Elvia Robles, and her father, Salvador Enriquez, tell their story about their experience with COVID-19 from their home in Lafayette. Photo by Cliff Grassmick, Colorado Hometown Weekly.
“No one should have to choose between obtaining the healthcare they need, and housing or food,” says Susan Wortman, Vice President of Development for Clinica Family Health, a grantee of your Community Foundation.
Referencing this news story featuring Salvador Enriquez – published in the Colorado Hometown Weekly last month – Susan continues, “We’ve seen an endless stream of very sick, very frightened patients. One patient at our Lafayette clinic [Enriquez] didn’t take COVID very seriously, at first. He contracted the virus, was hospitalized, and almost died.”
As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, “Clinica pivoted rapidly and radically to provide care to the community during the pandemic,” says Susan. “Not just our patients, but the entire community.
“Being a community health center, that was the right thing to do. We asked our well patients to stay home, we closed our dental operations, we sourced our own PPE [personal protective equipment] and figured out safe methods for testing patients who might have COVID – while still providing care to those patients with acute needs.
“When test supplies were scare, our staff put together a DIY test with supplies that were still available – and it worked! We’re still using them!”
In sum, Clinica Family Health is a medical safety-net for those who otherwise might fall through the cracks of the healthcare system. For more than 40 years, Clinica has existed to provide healthcare to the individuals and families in our community at a price they can afford.
Adds Susan, “Our staff was courageous, nimble, and innovative during the darkest days of the pandemic. They walked into our clinics every day, and they implemented new care systems – telehealth, teledental, teletherapy – so that patients could get the care they needed.
“Quietly, but reliably, Clinica is there for them.”
She concludes, “More than anything, we’ve seen countless cases of courage and generosity during this time. Courage among our staff, and generosity from so many people in the community.”
Related reading:
During the war with COVID-19, one of the crucial battle lines has been the critical shortage of PPE for many healthcare providers.
Your Community Foundation established the COVID-19 Response Fund Boulder County on March 13 to ensure essential services for community members who find themselves at the intersection of being most vulnerable to the virus and most impacted by inequity. Learn more and please consider donating.