“Job security became a big worry for the kids in our teen groups. They would worry about their parents losing their jobs. Some kids even got jobs to help support their families. As teens in our group saw friends lose family members to Covid. They became advocates in the community and others knew they were a resource.” said Luis Vazquez, Teen Outreach Manager. “We would do mental health checks with each person to see how they were doing. It has been really tough on kids adjusting to a new kind of school, being disconnected from friends, worrying about family security, the political climate. They have really risen to occasion and worked hard, got jobs, supported family, applied for scholarships. Their growth inspires us to keep pushing.” As many in the community have been without work the OneWorld Enrollment & Marketplace team has helped patients through the process of signing up for benefits such as Medicaid, insurance, and unemployment. The WIC team has helped provide information and access to community resources. Both teams expanded to helping patients over the phone and Marketplace has offered the option for patients to drop off paperwork for the team to submit. The pandemic shined a light on the social determinants of health. The need for food will continue and mental health needs are predicted to sky rocket. “Due to the already existing vulnerabilities, barriers, inequities of health, level of poverty, inhumane working conditions our families, communities and OneWorld’s patients and communities’ have been disproportionately affected by the virus.” said Nikki West, OneWorld Social Work Supervisor. “It is a ripple effect; significant increase in positive cases among our immigrant patients, heightened socioeconomic disparities and lack of access to available resources.” Vaccinations are the primary community need now. Continuing to educate and provide access to vaccinations so we can continue to assist our vulnerable populations and keep them safe. “It has been really hard,” said Teresa Chavez, I lost my Dad to Covid on December 22. After receiving oxygen in the hospital for three days, he was sent home and we were told he was fine. The following day he was gone. Since he lived in Washington State I was not able to visit him or attend his funeral. It has been so hard to be away from my family, but I have felt very supported by my team and OneWorld. Personally, when the moment came for me to get the vaccine, I did not hesitate. It felt like a tremendous relief and weight off my shoulders. It is hard to hear people say Covid is not real. I feel it is very important to encourage others to get vaccinated.” Through all of the challenges of this pandemic it has been inspiring to see people truly care for one another. OneWorld will continue to grow as an organization as the cornerstone of hope and healing for our underserved communities.
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