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“Patients’ basic needs were met with dignity during a horrific situation.” Amy McEntee, chief medical officer of Salud Para La Gente
“Patients’ basic needs were met with dignity during a horrific situation.”
In April 2023, record rainfall and strong storms in California flooded roads, cut power and damaged buildings, including health centers that low-income people rely on for health care. Americares responded immediately, contacting clinic partners throughout the state to learn what was needed to help communities and quickly restore access to health services.
To protect the health of people in flooded communities, Americares provided five truckloads of water to three food banks and delivered shipments of relief supplies and essential medicine, including tetanus vaccine and medication for diabetes, to clinics. Because many clinic staff also suffered damage from the storm at their homes, Americares provided emergency funding to support staff with transportation or other needs, helping to keep clinic doors open, as well as repair health facilities. In all, Americares provided more than $200,000 in aid to California communities.
“Support from Americares was invaluable by allowing us to house patients temporarily, replace medications and provide them with basics,” says Amy McEntee, chief medical officer of Salud Para La Gente, a clinic in Watsonville, California. “This type of partnership is incredibly important because it enables our patients to get the help they need when the need it the most. Patients’ basic needs were met with dignity during a horrific situation.”
“California was battered by repeated storms, upending daily life for millions of people,” says Mariel Fonteyn, Americares director, U.S. emergency response. “Because of our partner network, we were able to assess and meet health needs quickly.”
Recent News
November 11, 2024
Stamford, Conn. – Nov. 11, 2024 – Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization, welcomes Joy Gustafson Weintz to its Board of Directors for a three-year term. Weintz brings extensive experience in philanthropy and community engagement, along with a strong dedication to Americares’ mission of saving lives and enhancing health for those impacted by poverty and disasters.
November 01, 2024
Stamford, Conn. – Nov. 1, 2024 – Americares has awarded more than $1 million in emergency funding to restore access to care for Hurricane Helene survivors in five states.
October 30, 2024
Most people in and around Asheville, N.C., had no safe water: Hurricane Helene dumped as much as 30 inches of rain, rivers overflowed their banks and rushing brown torrents washed away cars, homes and even roads.
October 15, 2024
Stamford, Conn. – Oct. 15, 2024 – Americares has dispatched a mobile clinic to western North Carolina, bringing medical care to communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene. More than two weeks after the storm brought record flooding and landslides, thousands of households are still without power and in need of clean drinking water.