Doctor recounts his experience of faith in the hardest moment of the pandemic

In September 2019, Dr. Ramón Tallaj explained to the Pope how is the work carried out by the network of family doctors that he has formed. They are doctors from the same cultural community as the patients and who treat them in the same language.

DR. RAMÓN TALLAJ
Founder of Somos Community Care
“The recipients of our service are immigrants, the poorest and most vulnerable in New York, from the most diverse corners of the world.”

FRANCISCO
“This solidarity with the sick is a real treasure, and it is a distinctive sign of care and authentic healthcare, which puts the person and their needs at the center”.

Neither of them imagined that the pandemic would make their work essential, and put them under unprecedented pressure.

As the streets emptied, “Somos Community Care” began looking for ways to help its patients, as Latinos and Asians were less likely to confine themselves.

They distributed food, tests, and provided telephone lines to respond in the patients’ own language.

DR. RAMÓN TALLAJ
Founder of Somos Community Care
“We are working with the authorities and we have about 20,000 of these kits so that they can be used on other people. And it is totally free for our community.”

Without receiving public aid, “Somos Community Care” dedicated more than 30 million dollars of its own reserves to help the population.

They treated 40,000 people a day, carried out more than 2 million tests and gave hundreds of thousands of vaccines. They even paid the funeral expenses of those who had no resources.

It was a hard moment, in which they lived an experience of faith.

DR. RAMÓN TALLAJ
Founder of Somos Community Care
“At a certain moment, our people were dying, our doctors too, 12 of them died, although at that time there were already five… And there, on March 26, I told my employees during the day, when they get home, at 6 in the morning, 7 at night, change, have dinner, because at 8 at night we began to pray, the first day. And so we did and until the day of today we have not stopped, day by day”.

The doctor thinks that if new strains do not appear, it is likely that the pandemic will be overcome soon.

For this reason, he now asks to bet on preventive medicine, as a measure so that people do not have to go to the hospital or face painful medical treatments.

DR. RAMÓN TALLAJ
Founder of Somos Community Care
“Prevention is more important than disease. That prevention, if we start with today’s young people, will mean that fewer people have diabetes complications in the future, or hypertension with stroke, which are the things that at the end of life cause that at the end of life, that health issue is a disaster and the resources are not enough, so much money continues to be spent”.

It is the policy of this network of family doctors, which already cares for at least 700,000 patients in New York.

The pandemic has shown that they are doctors who are not willing to leave anyone alone.

Romereports.com