For the last three weeks, Joint Initiatives for Racial Equity in Health, also known as JIREH Providers, has been hosting a weekly well-being event in the Mountain View neighborhood. JIREH is a mobile clinic that has been bringing much needed medical resources to flood victims.
Why it matters
"We want to make sure that the need that’s already there in regard to the flood doesn’t then turn into an emergency need with their (flood victims') health. And so while they might not be thinking about it, we are," said JIREH Providers' co-founder Samantha Williams.
Williams is also a nurse practitioner.
“We definitely have the understanding that when it comes to disasters, especially natural disasters, oftentimes the first thing on a person’s mind is not their health. It’s food. It’s safety,” Williams said.
By the numbers
JIREH received a $25,000 grant from the San Diego Foundation's San Diego Flood Response Fund.
JIREH has been using the funds toward decreasing the barriers to access healthcare.
“We want to make sure that access is right at their fingertips, not somewhere that they have to go and not a need that goes unmet," Williams said. "So we bring preventative care services like our screenings for high blood pressure, diabetes, mental wellness straight to the community."
Closer look
If a community member needs follow up care, JIREH has partnered with the primary care clinic Innovative Wellness Clinic, or IWC. They can also assist with replacing medications lost in the flood.
“Once we complete that community needs assessment and find out that there were medications, especially those critical ones, that were lost or damaged, then some insurers have immediately set up some hotline numbers that we’re able to help them call to get those 30-day prescriptions," Williams said. "If not, then we connect them to IWC so that we can get that prescription refilled."
Looking ahead
JIREH will be holding well-being events in the Mountain View neighborhood through the end of March, and then plans to reassess their efforts and help another neighborhood affected by the floods.
For flood victims who need medical resources or help replacing medications and medical devices, Williams recommends they calling their primary care provider. Other medical resources can be accessed through JIREH's website, or by calling (619) 500-2385.
