San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, July 28, 2020 | The Puerto Rico Community Foundation (FCPR) announced today that the Office of the Elder Advocate (OPPEA) signed a collaboration agreement that makes it part of the Multisectoral Alliance to Contain Coronavirus from the Community Base, which seeks to prevent and contain the spread of Covid-19. The alliance convened by the FCPR is focused on serving the elderly population, a community that is at greater risk of death, according to experts.
The partnership with OPPEA strengthens the community-based coronavirus prevention and containment strategy that FCPR has been implementing since last March. The FCPR has already reached approximately 16,704 people living in 62 towns through 29 nonprofit organizations; 3,541 COVID-19 tests have been or are being administered in coordination with private laboratories; and 7,155 food bags and boxes of nutritional supplements have been distributed. In total, 1,446,577.00 pesos in donations have been granted. “From the start of the pandemic, the FCPR recognized the extreme vulnerability of older adults and decided to design this strategy to save lives. We are deeply grateful for the OPPEA’s commitment to this population and for enabling us to meet our goal of saving these lives,” said the President of the FCPR, Dr. Nelson I. Colón Tarrats.
The FCPR has addressed the needs of older adults through initiatives that support the work of community health clinics (330 Centers) and organizations that manage senior centers, as well as community organizing efforts to establish geriatric health initiatives in communities. The OPPEA will strengthen this community response by offering public information on statistics, studies, or documents related to the older adult population.
“The population of people over 60 years old on the island amounts to over 878,758 people. The vast majority of whom are vulnerable to this pandemic. Therefore, OPPEA is very grateful for the effort that FCPR and the Third Sector are making for the health of this community, said Doctor Carmen D. Sánchez Salgado, procurator of the OPPEA.
As part of this community response, the FCPR is also supporting efforts addressing the needs of the homeless and women, as well as initiatives for housing and water access, and promotion of community economic activation.
With this signature, OPPEA joins the Multisectoral Alliance to Contain Coronavirus from the Community Base, which now brings together 27 allies – non-profit, private, or governmental organizations. The rest of the allies are: Community Financial Advisors, Primary Care Association of Puerto Rico, Sabana Seca Community Affairs Liaison Association Inc., Puerto Rican Association for AIDS Patient Services and Assistance, Americares Puerto Rico, Atma Connect, Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, Carraízo Beautification, House of Kindness, Graneros del Cielo Inc. Social Aid Center, Coalition of Coalitions for the Homeless of Puerto Rico Inc., PR COVID-19 Wisdom Coalition COSACO (fiscal sponsor), Coalition for a Healthy Puerto Rico, Eco Exploratorio: Science Museum of Puerto Rico, The World of Puppets: Puppet World Inc., Foundation I Can, Hispanic-American Institute, Inc., Jóvenes de Puerto Rico en Riesgo Inc., Toro Negro Solar Community Board Inc., Women of Islands, PryMed Medical Care Inc., Puerto Rico Public Health Trust, One Stop Career Center of Puerto Rico, Network for Children's and Youth Rights, Just for Today, Health Workshop, and Citizens' Concertation. To join the alliance and learn what each ally does, you can visit the following link.
This community response to COVID-19 has been supported by several donors: Agua Fund, Amgen Foundation, Atlantic College (COSACO's fiscal sponsorship), Central Florida Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Philanthropy Puerto Rico, Global Giving, Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Funds, Borinquen Laboratories (fiscal sponsorship of COSACO), Miranda Foundation, Panamerican Group (COSACO's fiscal sponsorship), Open Society, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, The Prospect Hill Foundation, and Vestergaard SA.