Prepared to Serve a Community Amidst a Pandemic

For the Health Alliance of the Uninsured (HAU), 2020 started like any other year. Having distributed more than $3 million in prescriptions to low-income, uninsured patients in 2019 and recently celebrating their one hundredth Hepatitis C cure, they were poised for a year filled with success and momentum.

When the Oklahoma City Community Foundation awarded a $25,000 Access to Health Care iFund grant to the HAU in February to support their Cooperative Central Pharmacy, it seemed momentum was building.

Then, March hit and 2020 rolled in with a vengeance. The HAU’s partner clinics were forced to close, restricting their ability to refer patients to much needed diagnostic, specialty and surgical care and limiting their ability to provide essential medications to individuals with serious chronic illnesses.

A lot changed in a very short time, but our partner clinics really approached it very openly and supported each other.

said Jeanean Yanish, executive director of Health Alliance for the Uninsured.

The patient relationship has been key because in a time of shortage and uncertainty, vulnerable populations sometimes start hoarding things, so staying in touch and making sure patients continued taking their medications was vital.

The HAU quickly adapted, helping partner clinics shift to telehealth operations, offering drive-thru prescription pick-ups and providing food and other necessities through partnerships with other nonprofits, like the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Leveraging the Community Foundation’s 2020 Disaster Relief Fund, the HAU received a $21,500 grant to shore up their COVID-19 response through the purchase of life-saving PPE and other safety equipment. The grant allowed HAU to increase their ability to manage specialty referrals, facilitate prescription deliveries and, with the help of local partners, stock up on more than $90,000 worth of medications that will provide critical care to underserved community members.

Photo Credit: Brandon Snider

Caption: Jeanean Yanish, executive director of Health Alliance for the Uninsured, observes pharmacy operations at the Baptist Mission Center, one of their partner clinics.