DAP Health and Jewish Family Service Partner to Vaccinate Holocaust Survivors
DAP Health’s vaccine framework is rooted in health equity, ensuring communities and populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19 have priority access to the vaccine. Outreach to our patients age 65 and over has already begun.
Welcoming local survivors of the Holocaust to DAP Health for COVID vaccinations, we met Jerry Moses, who says he is convinced receiving the vaccine is saving his life. In recounting his experience as a survivor, he told us about saying no to vengeance, and how things can change for the better if we have patience.
Last week as we observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021, DAP Health started working with our lifelong friends Jewish Family Service of the Desert (JFS) to begin scheduling COVID-19 vaccinations at DAP Health for local survivors of the Holocaust.
During routine calls to their membership, JFS discovered that there were elderly Holocaust survivors in their Café Europa program (funded by a grant from Jewish Federation of the Desert) who needed assistance getting both their first and second vaccine appointments. JFS Director of Community Outreach, Julie Hirsh, sprang into action. She reached out to DAP Health about a partnership with JFS to help facilitate their Holocaust survivors in receiving the sought after rounds of shots.
DAP answered the call and quickly worked with Julie to make the first set of twelve appointments, and is continuing to schedule more, for some of JFS’s most vulnerable community members, those over 65 who may have underlying health concerns.
"We are so appreciative that DAP Health was willing to assist and quick to respond,” said Julie Hirsh “It is such a wonderful feeling to be able to collaborate with community partners who share the common interest of our Coachella Valley residents.”
About Jewish Family Service of the Desert
JFS is a non-sectarian agency founded on the Jewish principle of “Healing the World” (Tikkun Olam), and we currently offer that support through telecare mental health counseling, augmented case management that includes one of the only sources of emergency financial assistance in the Valley, well-check phone calls to isolated clients, and special programming for our local Holocaust survivors. For nearly 40 years, JFS has offered life-sustaining support. We are passionate about our Coachella Valley, and we now offer nearly 16,000 annual services to over 3200 clients. If it touches the heart of the Valley, it touches the heart of JFS! Become a member of the JFS family by volunteering or donating.
For more information visit www.JFSDesert.org.
About DAP Health
DAP Health (DAP) is an advocacy-based health center in Palm Springs, CA serving over 8,000 patients, offering medical and mental healthcare, STI testing and treatment, dentistry, pharmacy, and lab. A variety of wraparound services enable patients to experience optimal health, including social services, support groups, alternative therapies, and other wellness services. Excellent HIV care is provided by the largest team of specialized clinicians in the area.
DAP opened one of California’s first COVID clinic and hotlines to offer screening, testing, and treatment. DAP is also working to address social determinants of health that are causing negative health outcomes during this pandemic, like food and housing insecurity, joblessness, isolation, and access to ongoing healthcare.
DAP’s sexual health clinic offers STI testing and treatment, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and HIV and HCV testing. DAP has earned Charity Navigator’s highest rating for the twelfth consecutive year – landing DAP in the top 6% of nonprofits rated. The distinction recognizes that DAP exceeds industry standards in terms of financial health, accountability, and transparency.
Visit www.daphealth.org to learn more.
