Some COVID patients cannot isolate safely at home. A Hilton Head initiative wants to help
Hilton Head may be best known for its luxurious beaches, exclusive gated neighborhoods and bounty of leisure activities available to the millions of tourists who flood to the island each year. Yet keeping this tourist economy in motion are the thousands and thousands of frontline workers who live on or commute to the Island each day, staffing the Island’s restaurants, hospitals, hotels, retail stores and schools.
It’s these workers, many of whom are low-income, who are at greatest risk for catching the coronavirus — and bringing it home to their families or roommates. According to Volunteers in Medicine executive director Dr. Ray Cox, many live in tight quarters with other frontline workers or in multigenerational households, heightening the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The virus has disproportionately impacted Hilton Head’s Latino and Native Islander communities, which make up the bulk of VIM’s clientele.
“In our clinic population, we were seeing a positivity rate approaching 20%,” Cox said. “Clearly what that means is that you have people of color, and you have frontline workers who can’t telework or be in a situation where they are not around large groups of people who are exposed, and that puts them at risk for increased likelihood of getting coronavirus.”
So, Cox and Island leaders are leading an initiative to reduce the chances that people find themselves stuck in such a space with a COVID-positive person.
VIM, the Deep Well Project and the Greater Island Council have teamed up for “Project Isolate Safe,” which seeks to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among the Island’s lower-income population. The program offers low-income COVID-positive patients food, educational materials, protective gear and, for those who cannot isolate from other household members, a place to stay.
The program runs through late March and is partially funded by a community block grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which was distributed by the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.
To qualify for the program, participants must have received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and live on Hilton Head Island. They must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level — $52,400 for a family of four. Deep Well and Volunteers in Medicine clients who live on Hilton Head already qualify for the program.
The program is not intended for those with serious symptoms that require hospitalization, a flyer states.
Sandy Gillis, executive director of Deep Well, said providing food to individuals and families with COVID-19 can help reduce the chance of community transmission.
“Somebody in the family tests positive for COVID,” Gillis said. It’s “a situation where, if you could isolate that individual, maybe it doesn’t spread to that whole family, or maybe that whole family isn’t going to the grocery store to pick up food, maybe not realizing they’ve already been exposed and they’re out exposing others.”
COVID-negative family members may pick up seven to 10 days worth of groceries from Deep Well for their COVID-positive relatives. Alternatively, VIM can deliver groceries. Six condominiums, complete with kitchens, have been reserved to house COVID-positive people, who can stay for up to 10 days.
As of Dec. 31, 1,764 Hilton Head residents have tested positive for COVID-19. The 29926 zip code, which covers the Island’s North end, has seen 1,085 cases, while the 29928 zip code, which covers the Island’s South end, has recorded 679 cases.
To enroll in Project Isolate Safe, English-speaking community members can call (843) 290-3819. Spanish-speaking community members may call (843) 290-3629.
This story was originally published January 1, 2021 at 9:05 AM.
