Meds Delivered to At-Risk Seniors

Fire chief and personnel respond to health crisis

In response to the current coronavirus pandemic and public health crisis, Portland Fire Chief Sara Boone announced Monday a new “Meds on Wheels” free prescription delivery service where Portland Fire & Rescue personnel will deliver essential medications to home bound and at-risk seniors.

Portland Fire Chief Sara Boone has put her department behind a new “Meds on Wheels” prescription delivery service aimed to get essential medication to at-risk seniors during the coronavirus pandemic and public health crisis.

Portland Fire & Rescue personnel along with volunteers from Multnomah County Aging, Disability and Veterans Services will provide the free service to seniors who are too vulnerable to the coronavirus (COVID-19) to leave their homes and have no family members or other means to receive the medicine, it was announced Tuesday.

Boone, who helped launch the effort, said she recognized there would be certain communities that would be crippled by the social distancing restrictions brought on by the virus.

“We’re not just a response agency, we’re part of the community too,” she said. “This is where I was raised. This is where I’m from. How can we use our resources to help and assist in a community health crisis.”

Designed for pick-up and delivery of vital, life sustaining medications, the program is specifically geared toward community members 65 and older and those individuals with disabilities who desperately need life sustaining medications from a pharmacy but leaving their home poses a substantial risk to their health and the health of the community.

Portland Fire & Rescue will deploy its Community Health Assessment Team for the deliveries, officials said. The team will pick up and deliver medications using proper personal protection equipment and social distancing.

Officials said the team will also engage and encourage the seniors they help, a population that may be lonely, fearful and isolated. The team will also deliver a community resource flyer that lists places the community member could call for help with basic needs during this citywide state of emergency.

For more information and to make a referral, call 971-288-7687. The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.