IMMOKALEE, Fla. — The international medical humanitarian organization, Global Response Management, has begun Coronavirus relief efforts in Immokalee.
Global Response Management (GRM) provides emergency pre-hospital care and training to those living in conflict zones, with a focus on underserved areas.
"As an international medical organization, we are constantly looking for and tracking areas of the world that need a response," said Helen Perry, Executive Director of GRM.
For the past few weeks, a small Global Response Management team has been assessing what the need is in Immokalee.
"The major one that we see is the need for advanced clinical care that's free and accessible to residents of Immokalee," said Perry.
With a population of roughly 24,000 people, Immokalee is now leading the state in positive cases of COVID-19.
"What we're hoping to do is to set up a clinical program where we can bring in our medical volunteers, doctors, nurses, nurses practitioners, and work with patients, with close monitoring, with the goal of trying to catch our mildly ill patients and prevent them from becoming severely ill," said Perry.
GRM plans to have the home care program running in the next two weeks.
"We're working very closely with NCH and Physicians Regional to come up with protocols that are appropriate for these patients so we can monitor them through a team effort," said Perry.
As of Friday, over 1,200 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Immokalee.
"With more testing, there will be more positive cases. However, this does not negate the fact that COVID-19 is in our community," said Kristine Hollingsworth with the Department of Health in Collier County.
People who test positive and are unable to self-isolate are provided an alternative place to stay.
"While they are in that none congregate sheltering, we do provide meals, so three meals a day are provided as well as groceries and other services like laundry service," said Hollingsworth.
Perry says GRM is not currently doing COVID-19 testing but is working closely with the DOH and other community partners to come up with prevention strategies that can be applied in various areas.
"Immokalee is not just farmworkers, there are people who work in nursing homes or the hospitality industry at restaurants," said Perry.
Perry says GRM plans to have a 90 days response time.
The Department of Health of Collier County says people should continue to wear masks to prevent further community spread of COVID-19.
