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Medications Reach Patients Where They Are After L.A. Wildfires

An emergency prescription access program was put into place after the L.A. wildfires so health providers could more easily dispense needed medications. Vida Mobile Clinic is one such effort reaching patients impacted by the fires.

News

California Wildfires

A health worker with Vida Mobile Clinic works with a patient during medical outreach. The clinic was able to provide medications to people without access during the Los Angeles wildfires. (Courtesy photo)
By Olivia Lewis

When wildfires have devastated entire blocks of homes and decimated neighborhoods, refilling a blood pressure prescription is not the first concern for many.

But the stresses of disasters, including figuring out where to sleep and eat for the night and whether a person will ever be able to return home, can contribute to health concerns like high blood pressure.

In the wake of wildfires that burned throughout Los Angeles County in January, waivers were created to increase access to care for people affected by the fires. After Governor Gavin Newsom declared California a State of Emergency, the California State Board of Pharmacy was able to create waivers for medical professionals to expand their work and help more patients.

From January 10 to March 31, or until the state of emergency has ended, pharmacists and entities that sell or donate prescription medications can deliver medications to meet patients where they are. Following the fires the expanded access has allowed pharmacists to give patients medications at alternate locations, like pop-up donation sites and shelters.

The California State Board of Pharmacy has listed information on the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program on its website, and the program is for uninsured residents who need access to medication, medical equipment, supplies, and vaccinations following a natural disaster. Pharmacies or organizations where pharmacists work can also apply. Karla Rugamas, Chief Operating Officer at Vida Mobile Clinic, said the waiver has allowed the organization to work in more locations and help more people.

“Patients need all the support that they can get right now,” she told Direct Relief.

Vida Mobile Clinic is a free and charitable clinic based in the San Fernando Valley. The nonprofit clinic is a partner of Lestonnac Free Clinic and relies on volunteers to support patients who may be uninsured, unhoused, or under-resourced. The waivers have allowed them to provide medical support to insured and underinsured patients who may not have access to their regular doctor and pharmacy due to the fires. They can conduct consultations and fill or refill prescriptions for drugs and medical devices that typically require more restrictions.

Vida has partnered with several disaster relief organizations and local nonprofits to provide care to the communities affected by the fires. Rugamas said she hopes the deadline for the March 31 waiver for delivery of medications is extended. She recalled working with a patient whose friend told him to visit the clinic. He needed to refill diabetes and high blood pressure prescriptions.

“He was more worried about ‘Where am I going to live?’ that, you know, his health was secondary to everything else,” she said.

Other waivers allow flexibility within pharmacy personnel to perform certain functions and an increase in the number of technicians to pharmacist supervision ratio. These waivers aren’t expected to expire until the end of June.

According to Rugamas, the mobile clinic has seen an uptick in patients experiencing health conditions exacerbated by the fires, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Others, who no longer have a neighborhood or local pharmacy, need access to daily medications like insulin.  The clinic has changed operating hours by adding an additional day to its schedule to support more patients.

“Because of the fire(s), because of the air quality, their asthma, COPD, and allergies have gotten worse,” she said of the patients the clinic sees. “(We’re) listening to their lungs, making sure that everything’s okay, making sure that the oxygen’s okay, and providing them with medications.”

Rugamas said the vulnerabilities of the community have been heightened since the wildfires and that many people have expressed feeling overwhelmed. She said it’s helpful to patients to know that they can expect the mobile clinic to arrive at certain destinations on a routine basis in the aftermath of the wildfires to seek medical care and medications.

In response to the L.A. wildfires, Direct Relief supported Vida Mobile Clinic with prescription medications medical supplies, personal care products, and a $50,000 emergency operating grant to support services to patients in the Los Angeles area.

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