When Urgent Care Pitches in During a Disaster, Everybody Wins

Parts of the South and Midwest are fighting to recover from severe storms that brought tornadoes, flooding, death, and destruction recently. And for every displaced family there is a team of first responders working tirelessly to help their communities pick up the pieces. Unfortunately, they can continue to be high risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that flood waters can carry human, animal, medical, industrial, and household waste. Exposure can cause wound infections, skin rash, gastrointestinal illness, and tetanus. At least one urgent care center is doing what it can to support aid workers. Genesis Convenient Care is offering free tetanus shots to anyone working around flood waters in three of its locations in the Quad Cities region of Iowa. Genesis also explained what workers should look out for in announcing the initiative to local media. Just as sure as their gesture will help keep some workers safe from serious illness, area residents will see that the company is community-minded and the aid workers themselves are likely to be exposed to a healthcare provider (or setting, even) they’ve never accessed before. Of course, to be in a position to help your community when disaster strikes you have to ensure your facility is able to muster the storm. JUCM published an article on the necessity for a disaster plan, and how to go about formulating one; read it in our archive here.