Yuba Water personnel donate backpacks to Street Nursing Program
May 8—Yuba Water Agency personnel recently donated 75 backpacks and hundreds of hygiene products to a local team of nurses focused on addressing the needs of the local homeless population in the Yuba-Sutter area.
A few agency employees came up with the idea to donate backpacks to the Adventist Health/Rideout Street Nursing Team having learned about the program through volunteer work. After putting out the call to other employees, a total of 47 employees donated cash, backpacks and supplies.
"We are all in careers of public service, and we feel blessed to work here, to have good jobs and we just want to help those who are having a rough time," said DeDe Cordell, communications manager for Yuba Water. "...The approximately 85 employees we have now are really committed to supporting our community programs. Whenever we do something like this, or a canned food drive — anything that gives our employees a chance to give back to the community — the results are remarkable and it really just fills the heart and refuels you."
The donated backpacks were stuffed with personal hygiene products, blankets, socks, snacks, disposable masks, wet wipes and other items. Cordell said all of the items were bought by the employees at their own expense.
Ashten Phillips, director of community well-being for Adventist Health/Rideout, said she was filled with excitement upon learning the agency employees were planning on donating items to the Street Nursing Program she oversees. However, she didn't expect such a significant donation.
"We are so grateful for the Yuba Water Agency and their huge, generous donation," Phillips said. "These backpacks are more than backpacks, more than their contents; they are a gateway for our team to provide care and build trust with this underserved and vulnerable population."
Adventist Health/Rideout established tine Street Nursing Program in January 2019 in response to the Yuba-Sutter area's growing population of individuals experiencing homelessness — in 2019, a point-in-time count found that there were 721 individuals experiencing homelessness in the community, as well as another 251 people precariously sheltered.
The Street Nursing Team consists of a community outreach nurse, two community outreach social workers, several nursing interns and public health interns that work to provide medical screenings, case management services, and housing navigation to the local homeless population five days per week.
"We carry these backpacks with us five days a week, we distribute them at Hands of Hope, The Life Building Center, Better Way, 14Forward, as well as during street outreach in both Marysville and Yuba City," Phillips said.
In 2020, the Street Nursing Team had 3,174 total encounters with homeless individuals in the Yuba-Sutter community, which includes meeting with new patients, follow-up visits and outreach efforts.
The program is always in need of certain items such as socks, first aid kits, bar soap, wash clothes, wet wipes, travel size shampoo and deodorant, snacks (non-perishable), gloves, beanies and lip balm.
Phillips said community members interested in learning more or providing monetary donations to the Street Nursing Program are encouraged to visit https://bit.ly/3b9GpZD.
