Health organizations get national attention for Almeda Fire response

Dec. 9—When people fled the fast-moving Almeda Fire in 2020, many left behind their prescriptions, dentures, wheelchairs and other medical essentials.

"You've left your home, and it either burned down or you can't get back in for several days," said Dr. Richard Williams. "Most people need a toothbrush and basic supplies, but if you're a patient with diabetes who needs insulin, or you don't have your high blood pressure medication or you lost your oxygen, you aren't just concerned about your home. It becomes an issue of basic health and survival."

Two local organizations that manage Oregon Health Plan benefits for about 80,000 Jackson County residents quickly stepped in to help.

AllCare Health and Jackson Care Connect were able to overlay fire evacuation maps with information they had about OHP recipients' addresses. The resulting data showed who had likely fled the fire and needed help.

Both organizations authorized prescription refills and helped replace medical equipment. OHP, like most private insurance plans, doesn't usually let people refill prescriptions early.

"Normally it would be too early to get a refill. But if your medications burn up, you need a refill. We could predict they would need it, and it was obviously important," said Williams, a practicing physician and executive vice president of AllCare Health.

With the Rogue Valley now in the recovery phase from the Almeda Fire that burned 2,600 homes and businesses and killed three people, Williams interviewed people from throughout AllCare Health to chronicle the organization's efforts that ranged from getting people new medicine to sheltering survivors in hotels.

His resulting article — "Wildfire Response and Recovery: The Importance of Coordinated Care and Social Support" — was recently published in Catalyst, a journal from the publishers of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. Catalyst highlights innovative approaches in health care.

While his article focused on AllCare Health's efforts, Jackson Care Connect followed a similar track to help its OHP members.

Both AllCare Health and Jackson Care Connect are quick to point out they were able to aid so many people because of partnerships they forged over the years with other community groups. They manage physical, mental and dental health benefits and also connect patients to social services and other support that can improve people's health while controlling health care spending.

It's part of Oregon's unique strategy of coordinated care for low-income babies, kids and adults who get Medicaid health insurance.

"The work that we do at Jackson Care Connect is really rooted in the community and our partnerships. Those partnerships run deep. Just after the fire, many organizations leapt into action," said Jackson Care Connect Director of Clinical Integration Janet Holland.

The Almeda Fire destroyed the homes of thousands of people and forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.

Using mapping technology, AllCare Health initially identified 8,300 affected members, including about 700 elderly people, 700 disabled people and 51 pregnant women. Information technology workers forwarded the information to other staff, who started calling members about their needs. A few days after the fire, the count of members living in a fire zone or evacuation zone grew to 9,630, according to the article by Williams.

AllCare Health coordinated ReadyRide, its nonemergency medical transport partner, to help evacuate people and drive survivors to shelters. It also paid for ReadyRide to evacuate an assisted living facility, the article said.

AllCare Health arranged mental health care for vulnerable evacuees and used its network of interpreters — who usually translate for patients during medical visits — to serve people visiting community food banks. The organization also set up its own temporary food bank with food, hygiene supplies and even toys.

Workers collected dental supplies from local dentists and delivered them to shelters. They streamlined the process to replace dentures, allowing survivors to keep eating and maintain their health, the article said.

Jackson Care Connect used mapping to identify 3,559 members who were living in areas directly affected by the fire, not broader evacuation zones. It provided rides through its Translink transportation partner, authorized early prescription refills, paid for hospital stays for medically fragile survivors and replaced phones and medical equipment like glucose monitors and blood pressure cuffs, according to the organization.

Jackson Care Connect made large donations to community organizations helping survivors, funded hotel stays for 300 people, sent staff to a mass evacuation shelter at the Jackson County Expo and helped connect people who wanted to help with survivors who needed help, the organization said.

"We had a person say, 'Hey, I know that there were a lot of cars destroyed in the fire. I have a car I'd like to donate.' Our staff were able to connect that car with a family that desperately needed a car because they had lost theirs," Holland said.

Jackson Care Connect and AllCare Health have continued to help members during the fire recovery, also because of yearly wildfires and smoke that plague the region. This year, their efforts included distributing air filters to vulnerable people.

In the future, Williams said AllCare Health could use its mapping capabilities to identify medically vulnerable people who could be hurt by power shutoffs.

Power companies are allowed to shut off electricity to areas during times of extreme fire danger, such as when dry conditions combine with hot, windy weather. Wind can cause tree branches to fall into power lines and spark fires.

"We can identify people on medical devices that need power. We can predict who might need a generator," Williams said.

With scientists predicting hotter weather and more wildfires, the lessons learned from the Almeda Fire will prove even more important, he said.

The Almeda Fire started Sept. 8, 2020, during unusually hot September weather. Strong wind pushed it from Ashland up the Intestate 5 corridor. The fire destroyed swaths of Talent, Phoenix and rural homes before firefighters stopped it on Medford's south outskirts.

Holland said Jackson Care Connect now pays even closer attention to weather events that could threaten the health and lives of residents.

"It really has increased our emphasis on how we're going to respond to those in the future," she said.

Reach Mail Tribune reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or valdous@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @VickieAldous.