San Diego, CA. November 22, 2019. No one likes to be sick and even fewer people want or can afford to be sick in a hospital. ​For some vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, or individuals with compromised immune systems, the flu can cause severe illness and even death.

Between now through May (with peak infections hitting between December and February), we all need to guard against getting​ and spreading Influenza (flu). While it’s still too early to predict the severity of this year’s flu season in the U.S., physicians are encouraging everyone to vaccinate ahead of the anticipated peak infection times.

One of the populations in San Diego at higher risk for contracting influenza is the migrant population living in shelters with limited access to healthcare services, and often weakened immune systems due to the trauma and stress of migration.  As an aid to the shelter population as well as to support broader public health for the region, Alliance recently funded the purchase of flu vaccines to be administered by UC San Diego at the migrant shelter. Click here for more information on Alliance’s activities related to border health.

Flu vaccines are available to all individuals age six months and older. Below are just some of the many resources provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more information, visit the CDC’s site on Influenza (flu).

Flu Prevention Resources (source: CDC and Public Health Corps)

• The CDC’s Flu Guide

• Emergency Flu Symptoms. Pay attention to particular symptoms such as difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, and chest pain or severe abdominal pain indicate a need to go to the hospital. Check out all symptoms and more information.

• Flu Prevention. Prevent the flu to the best of your ability by taking certain key steps such as vaccinating and keeping your hands and common surfaces clean.

For the full list of Flu Season resources, visit here.

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About Alliance Healthcare Foundation. We work to advance health and wellness for the most vulnerable in San Diego and Imperial counties through collaborative funding, convening and advocacy.

We envision a San Diego and Imperial County region where equitable health resources lead to universal health and well-being. We believe wellness is a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual, economic and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

We currently operate a portfolio of five programs:

• • 1. i2 Innovation Initiative — also referred to as “venture philanthropy”—based on the thesis that innovation capital (often high risk, high reward) is needed to transform the current paradigm (high cost and poor outcomes) and improve quality, increase capacity and reduce costs;
    2. Mission Support—based on the belief that trusting those closest to our constituents and providing core operating support for great organizations will best advance our mission;
    3. Responsive Funding—based on the belief that it is important to be responsive to time-sensitive community needs and opportunities;
    4. InvestUp—based on the belief that it is important to actively and strategically be looking for ways to meaningfully advance our mission and it is worth spending some or all of our corpus—beyond the earnings off of our endowment—if we can substantively, sustainably and positively change the dynamics; and
    5. Impact Investments–based on the thesis that we can activate our investment portfolio to achieve more positive impact.

Our History. In 1982, the San Diego Community Healthcare Alliance (Alliance) created the first Preferred Provider Organization/Network (PPO) in the United States. From 1989 through 1994, the Alliance funded Alliance Healthcare Foundation (AHF) through profits from its Community Care Network (CCN) operations. In 1994, Alliance sold CCN to a national healthcare company and channeled the proceeds from CCN’s sale into an endowment of $83 million for AHF. That endowment has enabled funding of approximately $64 million (USD) in direct funding and approximately $41 million (USD) from national and local funding partners in San Diego and Imperial counties. Our endowment holds approximately $80 million in assets today, with funding for programs and operations derived from endowment investment earnings.

AHF Media contact:
Karen Winston, Communications Director, Alliance Healthcare Foundation
P 858-348-6472 E karen.winston@alliancehf.org