RESPONDING WITH RESILIENCE
Letter from Dr. Louis Appel, CMO
Dear Friend,
I’d like to begin this newsletter by thanking you for the outpouring of love People’s Community Clinic has received in the past few weeks. We’ve read countless messages of support that have truly made a difference. We can’t thank you enough for being there for us and for helping the community through the coronavirus pandemic.
As you can imagine, we’re moving quickly to accommodate the rapidly evolving situation. I’m very grateful for our staff’s tireless, around-the-clock efforts. Here is an update on where we stand since the last newsletter.
- Due to the shortage of personal protective gear, People’s is in urgent need of N95 masks. (Please note we do not need KN95 masks.) If you have new or unused N95s that you can donate to People’s, please contact Lindsey at Lindsey.Sanchez@AustinPCC.org.
- To manage the shortage of N95 masks and personal protective gear, please watch this KVUE-ABC news report featuring our Associate Chief Medical Officer who demonstrates how the clinic is recycling masks to prolong their use, among other measures.
- Due to the pandemic and in part to new safety measures, People’s saw a decline in patient visits resulting in the clinic operating at 60% of capacity. This is a critical loss of revenue at a time when we are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars more on virus-related expenses.
- To protect staff and see patients at a high level of safety, People’s has re-structured operations with three different types of clinics: droplet, for patients who have tested positive for coronavirus or are symptomatic; non-droplet, for acute cases that are not symptomatic and limited preventive visits; and telemedicine.
- Drive-through coronavirus testing is now available to pre-screened People’s patients. Of patients tested so far, close to 20% are positive for coronavirus.
- New telemedicine services connect patients with clinical staff from the safety and convenience of their home. In April, fully 80% of patient appointments were conducted via telemedicine. We will continue its use even after coronavirus subsides, as telemedicine has already proven helpful to patients who are challenged with transportation and other issues.
- To pay for all of the above and other pandemic-related expenses, People’s has spent close to $400,000 since mid-March. This presents a huge challenge to our budget and increases the struggle to provide health care for our patients, many of whom would not have access to care without People’s.
- Our up-to-date Coronavirus Q&A is refreshed daily to provide the most accurate information on staying healthy as well as resources to help people cope with loss of income or benefits, child care, etc. Feel free to use this for your own household and please share with your friends.
Many of you have so kindly asked what you can do to help our doctors and staff at this time. The best thing you can do—for all of us— is to stay safe by observing social distancing, wearing a mask in public, and washing your hands regularly. Secondly, your voice in support of community health centers (CHCs) like ours is much-needed as the pandemic continues. CHCs are now more critical than ever to serve our neighbors and lessen the burden on our hospitals. Please, we ask that you email your member of congress and urge them to support emergency and long-term funding for health centers, like People’s. Their inclusion of $7.6 billion in emergency funding for health centers will help fund clinics across the country. Finally, one of the best ways to assist is by making a gift of any amount. Your contributions will help see the clinic through this pandemic and ensure families in need continue to receive high quality care throughout this difficult time.
People’s exists because of the caring support of community members like you. Thank you, again.
With gratitude, |
