Community Partners in Caring, an organization committed to helping seniors and those with mobility issues, is on a mission to help the roughly 10,000 seniors in Santa Barbara County who haven’t gotten their COVID-19 shots yet.
The organization has already driven more than 800 miles taking seniors to and from vaccination sites as part of its Mission Vaccinate initiative, which began in March. But there are still folks who want to get a shot and don’t have access, Community Partners in Caring Marketing Coordinator Kaley Wise said.
“Eighty percent [of seniors], more or less, are vaccinated in our community, but there’s still those people that aren’t,” Wise said. “We aren’t by any means saying if they don’t want to get vaccinated … that they should, but those that want to, we want them to know that they have access to do so. We can make sure that they get there for free.”
Community Partners in Caring already provided extensive transportation to seniors before COVID-19, and it’s now using that network to aid in vaccination efforts.
“Prior to COVID, and now, we do take seniors to their medical appointments,” Wise said. “We have volunteers, and also have third-party vendors that we pay for, for seniors to get to and from their appointments. So whether it is a medical appointment, a doctor’s appointment, or even if they want to go to the grocery store, we will have our volunteers take them.”
Wise said that anyone 62 and older, or 18 and older with mobility issues, can utilize Community Partners in Caring resources.
The number of clients the organization helps has more than doubled since the pandemic started, from about 400 to close to 900. The services go beyond transportation, too.
“Our main mission is we are helping seniors age in place while maintaining a dignity of life,” Wise said. “We bring them groceries: We either bring them free food from the food bank, or we have our volunteers go to the grocery store [to bring] them whatever items they need. … We also bring our seniors their prescription medication, so we’ll take that to their homes. We do friendly phone calls or reassurance phone calls checking in on them.”
While for many people the pandemic was their first time experiencing the isolation that comes with being homebound, Wise said that seniors already dealt with this reality before COVID-19. The pandemic only exposed how isolated some community members are.
“I think with COVID, it brought attention to the isolation that was already being felt for a long time by seniors, but because of COVID, people really realized how important this need is,” Wise said. “Of course, during the beginning of COVID our main goal was to make sure that our seniors were staying safe, staying inside. … Now it’s more so that they’re able to start getting back out again, while continuing to get those things that they need in order to survive.”
The Mission Vaccinate program will run officially through May 31, though Wise said her organization will continue to offer free transportation and other services beyond the end of the month. Those seeking help can call (805) 925-8000.
“We really want to just help as many people as we can, so seniors can sign up to get their ride,” Wise said. “They don’t have to officially become one of our clients, we’re just trying to help anybody that qualifies to get a ride to their vaccination and making sure the most vulnerable are vaccinated.”
Highlights
• Santa Barbara Humane held a drive-through event in Santa Maria on May 16 to celebrate its recent rebranding and expansion of services for animals in need. Right before the pandemic hit, Santa Barbara Humane Society merged with the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society. “Generations of community support have made it possible to merge the organizations, transform the brand, and ultimately expand services through donor-funded safety-net programs,” according to the organization. “Pet owners now benefit from affordable or free medical services, a training and behavior program with new class options and one-on-one support, an open admission policy allowing all animals a second chance, and more. Increased financial support is now available for community members who need assistance for any service, and the trap-neuter-release (TNR) program in Santa Maria has been relaunched.” Pet owners who are interested in Santa Barbara Humane’s many free or reduced-cost services can head to sbhumane.org to learn more.
• The Santa Maria Public Library recently announced expanded grab-and-go service. “Visits are extended to one hour per day, the lobby bookstore is again open, and the second floor is also open for browsing and computer use,” according to library officials. “Safety protocols aligned with county health orders will remain in place, including required face coverings and more. Computer use and paid printing will be available with a one-hour session limit per day.” For further information about using the expanded services, visit cityofsantamaria.org/library or call (805) 925-0994.
Staff Writer Malea Martin wrote this week’s Spotlight. Send news about your business or organization to spotlight@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 20-27, 2021.