St. Joseph Community Health Grant Announced

With financial support from the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, Catholic Charities brings vital healthcare assistance to a Hispanic mom with COVID-19.

Fort Wayne, IN – For Olivia (whose name is changed to maintain privacy) the pandemic has been especially traumatic. She lost her job because of COVID-19 and then came down with the disease while seven months pregnant. Complicating matters, she and her family are Spanish speakers with limited English skills. 

Olivia turned to Catholic Charities for financial assistance with utility bills. During her screening interview, the tragic details of her story emerged. She had been hospitalized for COVID-19, which eventually overtook her lungs and soon she drifted into a coma. Her husband and daughter feared for her life and the life of her unborn child. Adding to their burden, it was very difficult to communicate with medical staff for the vital information they needed. 

“Olivia and her family were prime candidates for our Hispanic Health Advocate program, which serves those who need Spanish-interpretation services in vital areas such as healthcare,” says Natalie Borjas, Catholic Charities’ Hispanic Health Advocate. 

With much prayer from her family, days later Olivia awoke from her coma. As she caught her husband's gaze, she noticed he was stricken with grief. Immediately she asked, “How is the baby?” Her husband struggled to explain that the baby had passed due to the severity of her illness. 

As the client shared her story, Natalie listened and grieved with her. She arranged assistance for Olivia’s utility bills through another program of Catholic Charities. She also scheduled medical appointments for her and her family, and provided translation services due to their language barrier. Most importantly Natalie also referred them to a Spanish-speaking therapist to deal with their grief. 

Today a Catholic Charities Hispanic Health Advocate (HHA) still accompanies Olivia to her doctor appointments. Olivia is also receiving grief counseling to help her cope with the loss of her child. She has recovered from COVID-19 and has found new employment. 

“With the help of case management and therapy, Olivia continues to take it one day at a time,” says Natalie. “And if the need arises, we can provide her and her family with additional services to help them recover emotionally and financially.”