LUPE Responds to COVID19: Offices Closed Temporarily But Our Work Continues!
What a moment we are living through! Terrifying yet full of possibilities. People all over the country are waking up to the fact that our health depends on the health of the person next to us, and the person next to them. We are all connected – including those without documents, those in jails and detention centers, and those without medical coverage.
While we adjust to this new reality and shape our strategies and programs accordingly, LUPE has taken a few immediate steps to protect our community from further spread of the coronavirus. Our work continues, but in much different ways, including:
- All LUPE offices (San Juan, Alton, San Benito) are closed beginning Monday, March 23rd until further notice. We will continue to answer calls to all offices phones remotely.
- Our team will begin to call our members to check in with them about how they are experiencing the pandemic and to remind them to fill out the Census. Check out the Texas Tribune's coverage of our continued effort.
- Our social services team will call our members with the must urgent and time-sensitive cases and schedule future appointments to review their case.
- Our community outreach and Health On Wheels team will call each of our clinic clients to ask them about health needs and connect them to community clinics and information on COVID-19.
The transition is challenging, but we are also learning and growing. And we are having fun trying new things. Our Health On Wheels team hosted daily health talks via Facebook Live. Our organizing team used megaphones in colonias to announce the ongoing Census self-response period. Yesterday, we had a lively game of Censo Lote, our Census-themed bingo, via Zoom video to teach people about the importance of the Census. And we will soon have the ability to send text message updates to our 8,000 members.
Time for big, bold solutions
We do not know how long the pandemic will last, but we do know that the recession it has triggered will last long into the future. We will push for bold, strong, and inclusive relief, including for our undocumented family members and neighbors.
We need solutions that include everyone. We know what our communities need to thrive. We can provide care, testing, and financial assistance for everyone. This is the moment to push for Medicare for All, bold climate action, and an end to deportations and detentions. This is the moment to ignore all of those so-called leaders who say it’s not possible. We know that we can and we will. ¡Sí se puede!
In the meantime, make sure to follow us on social media to stay connected with our ongoing work.
Stay connected with LUPE and our members digitally:
