Rita needed help. Not only was her home damaged and her car destroyed by recent devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky, but she needed medical attention. However, without her car, she had no way to get to a clinic or the emergency room for help.
As volunteers with Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Disaster Relief Program were completing assessments on flooded homes in the area, they met Rita and heard her concerns. She claimed the flood water had infected her feet, causing pain, swelling, and discoloration.

A volunteer contacted CAP’s Elderly Services Program, which offers care and services for seniors in the area, including transportation to doctors’ appointments, the grocery store, or other needs a senior participant may have. When Ruby Fannin, a coordinator for the Elderly Services Program, heard Rita’s condition, Fannin and program manager Teresa Gullett left immediately for Rita’s home to see how they could be of service.

“When we arrived, Rita was very uncomfortable and informed us she had other significant medical conditions,” Fannin said. “This enhanced our concerns and we rushed her to the local ER. At CAP, we are blessed to have various programs that provide a variety of services for individuals in need, such as the need for transportation.”

Rita was able to receive the medical treatment she needed with the help of the Elderly Services Program staff while her home was assessed and mucked out by CAP’s Disaster Relief Program. No matter what a person faces, CAP’s human services staff meet people where they are and walk beside them through the challenges they may face.

“Different programs help each other during special events or in times like this when disaster strikes,” Gullett said. “We are blessed to be able to work together as a team to serve people in need in Appalachia.”