Effort to Help Free and Charitable Clinics Prepare for Severe Weather
Stamford, Conn. – Feb. 28, 2022 – Americares has awarded over $100,000 to six nonprofit health care providers in Texas to strengthen resilience in the face of severe weather events and other future emergencies. The funds will be used to purchase and install backup power generators and water filtration systems, repair damage from burst pipes, flood water and high wind and help the facilities continue to operate in the aftermath of emergencies.
All the clinics were impacted by Winter Storm Uri, which brought several days of snow, ice, freezing temperatures and power outages to large parts of Texas one year ago. According to state officials, Winter Storm Uri is estimated to have caused between $80 billion and $130 billion worth of damage across the state. The grants to local clinics impacted by last year’s devastating storm will accelerate recovery and help mitigate disruption to health services during future severe weather events, which are increasingly becoming more frequent and more severe.
Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization, has a long history of helping safety-net health centers recover and be better prepared for future emergencies. Grants were prioritized for clinics serving low-income, uninsured and underinsured patients—populations that are among the most vulnerable and often have the fewest resources to adapt in times of crisis.
Texas has had 365 disaster declarations—the most of any state—since the Federal Emergency Management Agency started tracking the designations in 1953.
“Extreme weather events such as ice storms and hurricanes can lead to prolonged power outages and clinic closures, which can have significant and long-term health effects for patients who may already be struggling with their health,” said Americares Vice President of Emergency Programs Kate Dischino. “The grants will help to ensure health care providers in areas prone to climate-related disasters have the resources they need to remain open for their patients and better prepare for future extreme weather events.”
Grants ranging from $4,000 to $32,000 were awarded to six nonprofit health care providers, including:
- $32,000 to Open Arms Health in Arlington, Texas, to purchase and install a backup generator;
- $28,000 to Ubi Caritas Health Ministries in Beaumont, Texas, to purchase and install a backup generator, as well as to upgrade the clinic’s backflow prevention plumbing system;
- $25,000 to Santa Maria Hostel in Houston, a substance abuse disorder treatment center for women, to purchase and install a backup generator;
- $20,000 to TRS Health in Stafford, Texas, to purchase and install a backup generator and a water filtration system;
- $4,860 to Arthur Nagel Community Clinic in Bandera, Texas, to purchase a heating and cooling system for the clinic’s waiting room;
- and $4,000 to Smithville Community Clinic in Smithville, Texas, for plumbing repairs.
The grants are part of Americares disaster recovery and resilience work, which aims to increase the climate resilience of community health clinics so they can continue to care for patients in times of disaster.
In the U.S., Americares is one of the leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies to organizations serving low-income and uninsured patients. Americares provides medicine, supplies, education and training to a network of nearly 1,000 partner clinics nationwide. Americares U.S. Program helps partner clinics to increase capacity, provide comprehensive care, improve health outcomes and reduce costs for patients.
Americares also responds to more than 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year, establishes long-term recovery projects and brings disaster preparedness programs to vulnerable communities. Since its founding more than 40 years ago, Americares has provided more than $20 billion in aid to 164 countries.
