Access of City Health Services To Low Income Residents Showing Signs of Improvement Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Community Overview

My community is located in Schenectady, NY. With a population of roughly 65,575, it has always been fueled by the growth of the middle class and city neighborhoods such as the GE Realty Plot and Hamilton Hill. Schenectady’s population peaked in 1930 at 95,692. However, the number of residents in Schenectady has been steadily declining, having lost 32.6% of its population since 1950. As a result, there is an increasing number of low income residents, and a decreasing labor force qualified for 21st century jobs. The loss of population in the City puts neighborhoods at risk for increasing rates of abandonment, vacancy and absentee ownership of investment property. Tax burden is distributed among fewer taxpayers, which in turns threatens the delivery of basic city services, including that of health services.

Moving Forward

However, strides have been taken to improve this loss of population in hopes of improving health conditions for low income residents who are facing the result of this lack of city services. Ellis Hospital, the main hospital in the city of Schenectady, took strides to make sure health care was more accessible to low income residents. In 2009, Ellis Hospital unveiled its medical home, with a focus on low-income patients and the undeserved, to help people get enrolled in health programs, find services for the homeless and make sure patients are following treatment plans. With services such as outpatient care, family medicine, X-rays, school registration, and dental care, this has really helped to break down the barriers and intimidation that these patients face when it comes to medical care. In addition, there is a free mid-day shuttle that stops at seven spots around the city to take people to the health center.

COVID-19 Brings A Community Together

Pallets with stacks of boxes containing single roll toilet paper, cans of tuna and soup, and bags of oranges in the gym at the newly minted Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady preparing to be delivered to areas of need.

With the recent pandemic of COVID-19, there has been a need to address the needs of seniors and marginalized county residents whose lives have been upended by these trying times. Pallets with stacks of boxes containing single roll toilet paper, cans of tuna and soup, and bags of oranges in the gym at the newly minted Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady. Aside from the groceries, many other items are delivered too. In some cases, specialty items like diapers for the young or old are delivered as well as a community resource guide brochure with information about everything from support services to childcare to free grab-and-go meals that the Boys & Girls Club offers. The group even picks up medications from the pharmacy as part of the delivery.

 

Schenectady County employees answering phones as part of a hotline service to see which areas need these supplies the most. From here, these orders get verified inside the county’s food distribution center. Calls to the (518) 621-3536 hotline that come in before 3 p.m. receive their order the same day.

Schenectady County employees are answering the call (both literally and metaphorically) by managing the phones as part of a hotline to see which areas need these supplies the most. From here, these orders get verified inside the county’s food distribution center. Calls to the (518) 621-3536 hotline that come in before 3 p.m. receive their order the same day. At the same time, while they try to ask as few questions as possible, they do need to have checks and balances in place to ensure no one is abusing the system. This is a large coalition with staff members from the staffers from the legislature’s office, probation, engineering, department of public workers, library, information technology, and county manager’s office. This coalition is being bankrolled by the Schenectady Foundation, a charitable trust to benefit the health and well-being of people who live and work in Schenectady County. Many of these items and groceries are donated by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Other local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Save Our Streets have also given a helping hand.

This initiative is truly making an impact with 90 percent of the deliveries being made to residents in the city of Schenectady itself. The Schenectady County COVID-19 emergency response coalition overall has made 4,418 total deliveries over the past two weeks and has received 7,385 calls to its hotline number during that same period while serving 5, 852 residents, according to county officials. I truly do hope the news of this initiative is spreading fast and that those who are in need of these services are capitalizing.

2 thoughts on “Access of City Health Services To Low Income Residents Showing Signs of Improvement Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

  1. It’s great to see your community stepping up to help each other. Making sure that people get the medications they need during these tough times is crucial.

  2. I love that you really highlighted the efforts that Schenectady is making to help those in need during the pandemic. I honestly haven’t seen these types of measures being taken in my research concerning my community. The packages of food and essential items being put together for people to come pick up at the Boy’s and Girl’s as well as those taking calls about how to allocate resources is truly inspiring and heartwarming. It shows that, although the city is struggling with its decline in population, those that are still members of the community are working tirelessly to improve the situation of those in need.

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