A Knock on the Door
The smell of smoke permeates the room. Sirens blare in the distance. Then suddenly you’re immersed in darkness.
You try to call your son, but the phone won’t work. You’re all alone, sitting in your wheelchair, with no idea of what just happened.
Grace had never felt more alone.
When the knock on her door came, she yelled out from her bedroom, “I’m here!” A familiar, warm voice responded, “It’s Jill from the Day Program! Are you ok?” and suddenly relief filled her body. Someone had come to help.
All of us watched in disbelief as wildfires raged through our community leaving a path of ashes and debris where homes used to stand. While our first responders handle the front lines, the Collabria Care team wasted no time making sure that everyone entrusted to our care was safe.
Thanks to you, we knocked on many doors that day.
Our staff—even while dealing with their own losses—quickly tracked down and connected with every single one of our 294 patients—including those who had been evacuated and relocated to shelters, friends’ homes, hotel rooms, and even other counties.
When Grace couldn’t be reached by phone, Jill, Director of our Adult Day Health Program, set out to locate her. She arrived at Grace’s home and found her huddled in bed. The darkness had made it difficult for Grace to move about in her wheelchair, so she crawled into the security of her bed and waited for someone to find her.
Like most of us who experienced the devastating fires, Grace was physically ok, but emotionally very scared and shaken. After assessing her health, Jill sat with Grace talking about the fires and reassuring her that the Adult Day Health team would check on her every day.
Before leaving, Jill gave Grace a hug—along with a mask to protect her from the smoke. Jill also placed extra blankets on her bed to keep her warm and had a box of food brought in to replace the food that had spoiled.
To escape the smoke, Grace’s son took her to his home, located in another state. Her Adult Day Health team arranged for her medications to be refilled near his home and as promised, they checked on her each day, making sure she was safe and comfortable.
Over the last 40 years you’ve been here for us through floods, earthquakes, and fires, so that we could be here for those we care for. But our work is far from over!
Please take a moment now to make a meaningful gift to Providence Community Health Foundation Napa Valley ensuring there will always be a knock on the door for our patients like Grace.