Photo: Supplied / Courtesy
On January 4, Rubén González arrived at the emergency room due to shortness of breath. There they confirmed that he was infected with covid – 19 and had to be hospitalized immediately as his lungs were about to collapse.
After three months of being admitted to the White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights, González, from 51 years, he was discharged but had to carry with him an oxygen tank which he has used since then the 24 hours a day.
“My life has changed a lot, I can’t walk, I can’t do things like before I can’t even go out to water the grass. I get really tired, ”said the East Los Angeles resident.
Your disability has forced you to stay at home and you have not been able to return to your job as a mechanic.
During the time that he has been ill, the family has also faced the difficult situation of having to deal with home repairs such as a leaky roof and fixing the heater.
What González little expected is that the help to cover some expenses would come from his local clinic, AltaMed.
“I have 25 years as an AltaMed patient, but I never imagined that They were going to help me, ”González said. “With what they gave us, we paid part of the mortgage and other debts.”
González was one of those chosen to receive financial aid from the AltaMed Gives program, which is funded by employees of AltaMed Health Services, a community health center based in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Employees donate to AltaMed Gives from one dollar up to $ 100 or more.
Barbara Long, a spokeswoman for AltaMed, said that employees started this program a few years ago to help some of the patients who do not have access to essential things and that they noticed during their work hours.
“What we do goes beyond clinical service, we know that life stress can affect the quality of life, ”Long said.
A mother in distress
Another patient who received the unexpected help from AltaMed Gives is Justine Lemus. She is a single mother of two children and the youngest of 5 has autism.
Lemus, from 32 years, she said last year when she went to her local AltaMed clinic she was having financial trouble buying her child’s diapers, so He was managing to put one bigger in his size.
An employee saw her and told her that although they did not have diapers of the size that the child needed, they did I could refer her to a program where they could help her.
“In less than a week they helped me with diapers, grocery shopping and even paid my phone, ”Lemus said excitedly.
The South Gate resident was recently eligible to once again receive much needed help especially since she is the primary caregiver for her child with autism, who is still unable to go to the bathroom on his own and needs his diapers . Until a while ago, she was also the main caregiver for her grandmother, who is paralyzed on the left side of her body.
Sponsors ready to help
For this reason, Oportun, a financial services company focused on working people, decided to include its help to those most in need through donations that double the help received by patients.
Alejandra Velázquez, spokesperson for Oportun, said that in the past they have already collaborated in different community projects with AltaMed.
“This gives us the opportunity to understand who the patients are, who are often the ones Oportun helps,” said Velázquez.
Many people continue to be affected by the pandemic through job loss, infections in the home, or children who have not been able to return to school; but entities such as AltaMed and Oportun are very aware of it.
“All of this requires more money,” said Velázquez. “And Oportun is matching contributions from other companies in order to raise a total of $ 84, 07 for this program. ”
AltaMed’s assistance for needy patients is approved according to your need. This amount offered is doubled by another Oportun donation that goes to the same patient.
Due to limited funding, patients are chosen by a committee of AltaMed employees.
González received a grant of $ 2, 250 and Lemus a total of 1, 300 in help.
“Our support for the AltaMed Gives campaign will help relieve Mrs. Lemus and hundreds of families in the region Los Angeles that have been severely affected by the pandemic, ”Ezra Garrett, Oportun’s senior vice president of public relations and impact, said in a statement.
“We encourage other companies and individuals to donate to AltaMed and help make a difference for hard-working people who are struggling to put their lives back together.”