As the response shifted to meeting survivors’ longer-term needs, Americares began working with partners in the region to expand mental health and psychosocial services. Health workers treating patients traumatized by their storm experience—including many who survived harrowing rescues from rooftops or by boats—participated in Americares Resilience and Coping for the Healthcare Community and Psychological First Aid workshops. The resilience sessions focus on stress awareness and coping strategies for health workers; the first aid workshops train health workers to identify, understand and respond to patients’ mental health and psychosocial needs. Americares continues to serve 4,000 health workers in storm-affected communities with training, support groups, crisis counseling and educational materials that will better equip them to care for patients experiencing trauma, anxiety and depression. In communities where the need exceeds the available counseling resources, Americares is providing additional resources to expand services.

Building on nearly 40 years of disaster response expertise, Americares is working with safety net health care facilities throughout Texas to use the lessons learned from Harvey to improve responses to future storms. Beginning in April 2018, Americares emergency planning specialists began working with health care providers in Texas serving vulnerable populations to complete detailed after-action reports on the impact of Hurricane Harvey on their clinical operations and make recommendations for future performance. Health centers, free clinics and other nonprofit organizations are also participating in a series of disaster preparedness workshops that will train staff in creating customized emergency plans.

“Enhancing preparedness is a critical component of our recovery programs,” said Americares Vice President of Emergency Programs Kate Dischino. “We will work with safety net providers and guide them through creating customized action plans so they are ready the next time disaster strikes.”

David and his wife, Renee, on a walk near their Houston home.

David’s teenage sons had to help him upstairs as the first floor of their Houston home filled with a foot of water during Hurricane Harvey. The 58-year-old has diabetes, high-blood pressure and walks with a cane due to a debilitating back injury six years ago.

He went without medication for a week after the storm. His insulin, which needs to be refrigerated, spoiled after several days without power. Unable to afford to replace it, David didn’t know where to turn. Then his phone rang. It was his doctor’s office—San Jose Clinic, one of the 1,000 clinics Americares supports in the US—offering to refill his insulin for free. Americares had just made a large delivery to the clinic to help Harvey survivors.

“We lost everything, all my medicine. Everything was gone,” David said. “Without that clinic I’d be dead! I thank God. When I pray, I pray for San Jose Clinic.”

Americares prepositioned teams and relief supplies in Puerto Rico and Florida in advance of the storm. As soon as the storm passed, Americares relief teams fanned out across St. Thomas, St. Croix and South Florida to assess needs of health care providers treating survivors. Americares responded by replacing damaged medicine and supplies for dozens of health facilities across Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands and provided mental health and psychosocial programs. In Florida, Americares provided critical support to help repair damaged health centers and partnered with the Redlands Christian Migrant Association in Plant City and Palmetto to offer Americares Resilience and Coping for the Healthcare Community workshop, training health workers to handle the stress caused by sustained power outages and the continued uncertainty of recovery.

As Hurricane Irma barreled toward Florida, homeless and abandoned youth living at Covenant House Florida in Fort Lauderdale hurried to seek shelter inland.

When they returned four days later, the roof was peeled open, the air-conditioning units were damaged beyond repair and water had seeped in throughout. The staff hurried to patch the roof, mop up the flooding and restore a sense of normalcy as a second storm—Maria—approached. They got to work quickly with emergency funding from Americares.

“Many of the young adults we serve have already been through trauma before they come through our doors,” said Executive Director Jim Gress. “Covenant House is a safe place. The last thing we want is to add to the trauma and uncertainty in their lives.”

Had it not been for Americares, the center would have had to slash its operating budget and serve fewer youth to cover the cost of the repairs, Gress said. The support allowed it to continue operating at full capacity at a critical time; the storm displaced many Florida residents and the numbers of at-risk youth in need of housing increased 15 percent.

“Americares was a lifesaver in those early weeks,” he said.

Americares immediate response included emergency airlifts to restock damaged health facilities, followed by the opening of a warehouse in Puerto Rico to oversee the distribution of medicine and supplies to hospitals and community health centers throughout the island. In October, Americares dispatched a mobile medical team to provide care in remote and underserved communities. In November, the team began dialysis patient transport for patients in Vieques where the only dialysis center on the island has been shuttered since the storm. In December, we introduced Mental Health and Psychosocial Services programing including Americares Resilience and Coping for the Healthcare Community workshop. In addition, the team is supporting the rebuilding of health facilities in Dominica and providing relief aid to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Several health facilities have already been repaired and one temporary medical facility has been put in place. In the months that followed, our in-country staff has continued to help restore health services and rebuild the health system.  Going forward, Americares Hurricane Maria Relief Program will focus on mental health and psychosocial programming as well as disaster preparedness.

Elia getting the care she needs from an Americares mobile medical team. 

Forty days after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Elia had empty prescription bottles and no way to refill them. Without power, pharmacies could not access patient records or insurance plans.

“I can’t get medicine because there’s no data system,” explained Elia, who was still living without electricity or water when she received treatment from an Americares medical team in November. The lack of medicine was adding to her worries. She needs medicine daily to control her blood pressure and diabetes.

Beginning immediately after the hurricane, Americares delivered medicine and medical supplies to more than 60 health centers on the island and brought medical teams to communities including Moca, in western Puerto Rico, where Elia lives. Americares medical teams provided 1,700 consultations in the aftermath of the storm, providing exams and dispensing free medication. The consults included more than 200 home visits for patients too ill to travel.