Obtaining basic needs for those vulnerable to COVID-19.

HCPC worked with an 18-year-old man who was about to graduate from high school. He is a cancer survivor with chronic kidney disease and is considered high-risk of developing complications from COVID-19. To protect himself, he remained homebound throughout the pandemic, living with and relying on his mother and grandmother to take care of him.

Unfortunately, both his mother and grandmother tested positive for COVID-19 and became ill, making it very difficult for the family to access necessities including food. Our HCPC Community Health Worker worked with this young man and connected him to a local food pantry called CUMAC. Because he falls into a vulnerable population category, CUMAC was able to provide no-contact food delivery directly to his home. His family was incredibly grateful to have access to free and healthy food options. While crying tears of joy over the phone, the young man’s mother asked how she could demonstrate her gratitude and appreciation of this program.

Our HCPC Community Health Worker explained that HCPC’s job is to help the community by being present, linking people to resources, and offering a listening ear. The mom continued to express her gratitude because she felt people had stopped caring about her community and hopes that HCPC continues to grow and touch the lives of more residents.