This Crisis Calls for Extraordinary Support

“I could not pay for the (COVID-19) test, nor for the medications they told me I would need. Worst of all, I needed to replace my pacemaker…”

The Extraordinary Support Program or Programa de Ayuda Extraordinaria, as our patients know it, began in August of this year in response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the limited ability to travel or open our offices during the quarantine, an immense number of patients were still finding ways to reach Puente de Solidaridad (PdS) in hopes of getting the help they needed. A majority of these patients needed surgery, but could not afford their preoperative tests. In addition to the usual long list of lab and imaging tests, a timely COVID-19 test was also required before their operation. This new precaution is crucial for both the safety of the patient and for the staff who would perform their procedure. But a high demand for testing and frequent delays in receiving results, along with the cost of the test,  proved to be a barrier to care that many patients could not overcome.

Responding to the New Reality

PdS social worker, Carmen, speaks to a patient by phone from her home in Santa Cruz.

Before the pandemic, we supported hundreds of patients each year by reducing or eliminating their surgical costs, but patients generally paid for labs, X-Rays and other diagnostic tests themselves. But this year has been “special,” says Patricia Vargas, PdS’s executive director. People from more varied socio-economic backgrounds started to approach PdS for assistance, and for higher levels and more types of help. From the hundreds of phone calls they received, and numerous patient visits, it became clear that the economic impacts of the pandemic were causing a unique health crisis for many more patients across the country. 

In solidarity with our patients and their new struggles, we knew we had to do more to respond to the new reality. 

In August, when COVID-19 cases began to level off in Bolivia and hospitals started to re-open for surgery, many patients could not afford basic medications or cover the cost of getting tested prior to their operation. Patients with non-surgical needs also reached out to PdS for help, such as cancer patients or those on dialysis.  

This reality demanded action. But how could we best respond, using our existing knowledge and experience to meet these new and urgent needs? The common thread we heard from patients was a need for help to access diagnostic tests and medications. 

With the central problem identified, we went to work creating a response modeled on our surgical programs. Just as we do for surgical patients, Puente de Solidaridad sought out mission partners in the community and entered into agreements with local laboratories and imaging centers to provide tarifas solidarias (discounted prices) in order for the low-income patients in our programs to access these tests. In addition to these discounts, Solidarity Bridge committed to doubling our financial support for patients, helping to cover the cost of tests or medications when a patient could not pay themself. Together, these efforts are helping us to serve not only patients needing surgery, but also many more Bolivians suffering complex medical conditions during this pandemic. 

Today, the Extraordinary Support Program has helped more than 120 patients, an average of 40 patients per month since its inception. The average amount of financial support per patient is just $52—a small sum by U.S. standards, but an insurmountable burden for many on their own. 

Extraordinary Gratitude

Don René, pictured at home prior to surgery, with his two children.

One of the patients served by the program is Don René. His pacemaker needed to be replaced, and he found Puente de Solidaridad at his cardiologist’s recommendation. After speaking with our social workers, René was approved for assistance through our Pacemaker Program. But before he could undergo his procedure, his wife got sick and was hospitalized with COVID-19. He also became ill and needed to be tested, but his family could not afford it. With the help of Solidarity Bridge and Puente de Solidaridad, Don René was able to get medication to treat his COVID-19 symptoms, pay for his preoperative tests, and eventually, when cleared of the virus, get his pacemaker replaced. When our social worker checked in on him at home after his procedure, he was eager to take her call: “This help has been extraordinary. I have only gratitude for those who made this possible. Thank you!”

We have only gratitude as well. Gratitude for the wide community of medical providers in Bolivia and our donors and supporters in the US who share our mission and make stories like this possible every day. Your continued solidarity is our source of hope.