St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund

Severity of Problem While every applicant reported challenges, and some feared impending layoffs, only a handful of organizations signaled that they were in immediate danger of permanent dissolution and 15 (12%) identified already facing major issues such as widespread layoffs or long-term program closures. There are three potential reasons why organizations are not indicating more severe effects. 1. Organizations may be confident of their ability to weather the crisis – while they may face hard times, they are not worried about going out of business. 2. Organizations may be concerned but did not want to present the appearance of desperation or weakness, thinking it would make them less likely to be funded. 3. Organizations may be taking on a wait and see attitude, thinking they are able to get through this as long as it does not take too long (or may not have a full grasp of the problem). As a result, the severity of the issues facing the nonprofit sector may be greater than originally captured in these applications. One organization expressed the uncertainty of the pandemic and its impact on their organization: "The full impact the pandemic will have on both our ability to sustain effective service delivery under the current conditions and the resultant financial stress this will put on ongoing operations is yet to be known." Community Clinics While only nine community clinics applied, there were several recurrent challenges specific to clinics. Many applicants described the atmosphere in their clinics as "stressed" or "frenetic" as they experienced increased demand. But some also reported decreases in patients from certain demographics. In particular, four noted lower than expected numbers from undocumented immigrants, suggesting that a three-year trend in their reluctance to seek services may be exacerbated by the crisis. As noted earlier, clinics were unable to get PPE or forced to purchase them at inflated prices. They also face increases in equipment costs as they are disposing of instruments more frequently as they come in contact with possible COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, they often lacked access to COVID-19 tests; even if they were available, staff was often not trained to perform them. Clinics that rely on retired medical profes- sionals volunteering are unable to provide ser- vices as these volunteers self-isolate. Reduced capacity is exacerbated by increased demand for non-COVID-19 services, as people are afraid or unable to go to hospitals or urgent care for these needs. As one clinic expressed, "If we were not able to provide care to these individuals, a hospital emergency room may be their only source of medical care, further straining limited resources. [Also,] for the first time, being in a hospital emergency room presents an additional potential risk of exposure to those with COVID-19 virus." Finally, with the order that preventative dental and vision services are to be delayed until the crisis is over, clinics that specialize in those services are essentially shuttered, impacting their revenue stream and contractual obligations. "We are facing a triple threat – a dwindling volun- teer workforce due to social distancing and health concerns, a soon-to-be smaller supply of donated food, and a growing need for assistance due to school closures." "Our patient population is predominantly disadvantaged and low-income patients; [many have no health insurance or] Medi-Cal. They represent multiple levels of vulnerability as many are also immigrants, homeless, and families with school-aged children…This population may be reluctant to seek medical care for fear of inability to pay, immigration issues, or lack of insurance." Orange County Food Bank Community clinic

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