Food or Medical Care?

When temperatures start to drop, visits to the doctor start to rise, especially those related to the flu.  For many of us, getting a flu shot is something that we just do out of habit and don’t put a lot of thought into. But for others in our region, this seemingly small decision is a much harder one.

Limited resources often force many of those we serve to choose between providing dinner for their family or getting proper medical care. In fact, 57% say they have had to make this tough choice at some point. For these individuals and families, not getting a flu shot, or other medical care, has the potential to create problems much bigger than a few days of being sick.

Poor health can affect work attendance, which can affect employment and/or pay, which can affect a person’s ability to pay their bills and provide for their family.  So all of a sudden, choosing to buy food instead of getting a flu shot now means that later they could be out of a job and facing even greater challenges.

But luckily, through the help of our partner agencies and supporters, we can work together to make these tradeoffs less frequent. By providing them with a stable source of food for themselves and their family, they can now focus their limited resources on other basic needs – such as medical care.