HARC’s Response to COVID-19

About HARC and COVID-19
HARC is committed to supporting the health, wellness, and quality of life for all. As such, we are abiding by Governor Newsom’s “stay-at-home” order in an effort to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19.

However, we are still here for you! All HARC staff members are working from home, so we anticipate no interruption to our services at this time. We will respond to emails and phone calls within one business day.

Our Data Release Event was a webinar on March 31st. If you missed the webinar, please visit our Coachella Valley Community Health Survey page where you can link to the recorded webinar, download the latest Executive Report and view all details of the 2019 community health data release.

Our existing projects will go forward with some adaptations.

If you need support during these times such as collecting data, analyzing data, conducting evaluation or research, please reach out to us! There are many ways we can collect data while still maintaining social distancing, such as online surveys, virtual focus groups, and telephone interviews. These are challenging times, so if you need data to better serve your constituents, we are here to help. Just email staff@HARCdata.org to get started.

COVID-19 Needs Assessment Survey
With support from generous funders Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill, John P. Monahan Foundation, a Donor Advised Fund of the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust, and Western Wind Foundation, HARC was able to conduct this important COVID-19 Needs Assessment of the Coachella Valley. The assessment was conducted from June to July of 2020.

The purpose of this needs assessment was to get a deeper understanding of how COVID-19 has effected the Coachella Valley. Our community has a high proportion of people considered to be at high-risk of COVID-19 complications, such as older adults and those living with compromised immune systems, which makes this needs assessment particularly important.

HARC recruited participants through social media and e-blasts who were Coachella Valley residents and 18 years or older. Local partners of HARC also helped to publicize the survey to increase the number of participants reached. Data collection spanned approximately one month. This needs assessment also included qualitative data from key informant interviews with local residents regarding the impact of COVID-19; the participants were obtained through a partnership with the Center for Health Disparities Research at UC Riverside (HDR@UCR).

A total of 624 Coachella Valley residents participated in this needs assessment, representing our entire Valley from Desert Hot Springs to the Salton Sea. About a third of the participants identified as Hispanic/Latino, and most (64.7%) were female. About half of the participants were making less than $50,000 a year, and about half have a college degree or higher. On average, the household size was 2.6 people; approximately 24.2% lived alone. Approximately one quarter of participants (26.3%) live in households with at least one child. About half of participants (49.3%) had been diagnosed with one or more of these major diseases.

HARC COVID-19-Related Resources
HARC created these infographics to help the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. HARC is dedicated to supporting the health, wellness, and quality of life of our community, before, during, and after this pandemic.

Debunking COVID-19 Myths – [March 25, 2021]

Celebrate New Year’s Eve – [December 29, 2020]

Coachella Valley COVID-19 Needs Assessment – [August 12, 2020]

Travel Guidelines During COVID-19 – [July 22, 2020]

How to Stretch Your Money During a Pandemic – [June 11, 2020]

Engaging with the Community and Collecting Data Despite COVID-19 – [June 3, 2020]

Staying Safe as Society Re-Opens: What You Need to Know to Keep Safe From COVID-19 – [May 20, 2020]

Helping Children Cope with the Pandemic – [May 13, 2020]

Healthy Eating and Active Living During Lockdown – [May 6, 2020]

Leadership During a Pandemic – [April 29, 2020]

Taking Care of Your Mental Health During a Pandemic – [April 22, 2020]

Working from Home Effectively – [April 16, 2020]

Other Resources
To learn more about COVID-19-related resources locally, please visit this page assembled by United Way of the Desert: https://www.unitedwayofthedesert.org/coronavirus-updates

Here is a resource list put together by the Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance and Riverside University Health System – Public Health: https://harcdata.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID-19-Resource-List-RUHS-PH.jpg

Please Donate
During this time of crisis, our funding is uncertain. Many of our regular donors are the very organizations that are hit the hardest by this pandemic—the healthcare organizations and providers. Many of our clients are postponing or cancelling projects, reducing our income. We are committed to cutting costs and exploring new ways to bring in revenue so that HARC will continue to exist for years to come. If you can contribute to this effort, we would deeply appreciate it: go to https://harcdata.org/donate/ or mail a check to HARC at 41550 Eclectic Street, Palm Desert, CA 92260.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us. We’re all in this together!

–Dr. Jenna LeComte-Hinely, Chief Executive Officer, HARC