Thousands of Chileans need the COVID-19 support network to come directly to their home districts. Innovation and collaboration have allowed us to make this a reality for residents of La Pintana and Puente Alto: an electric bus, fully fitted out as a mobile laboratory for PCR testing, has already gone into action in areas that face the greatest difficulty in obtaining virus testing. When a positive case is detected, the results are reported by telephone messaging both to the patient and to local health teams for suitable follow-up. This initiative comes as part of the “COVID-19 Hope” project, spearheaded by the Universidad Católica, its Faculty of Medicine, and the UC Christus Health Network.
The mobile laboratory – the first of its kind in Chile – was developed through innovative work by Enel X, in line with the health and safety requirements specified for clinicians of the UC Christus Health Network. The laboratory bus contains a seating area for transport of health personnel (2 nurses, 1 nursing technician, and 1 administrative staff member), access with a cabin featuring sanitary control, an administrative zone, 2 glove boxes for sampling, and a storage area, and also features Wi-Fi internet access.
“We are living in complex times that require collaboration from everyone. The implementation of our 100% electric laboratory bus is a totally new initiative in Chile, both in terms of the vehicle’s characteristics and its implementation, and reaffirms our commitment to helping overcome this pandemic affecting our country and the world, incorporating electric transport for healthcare, while also helping care for the environment and reducing pollution in the city.”
Who do we work with #CodoACodo?
“The support we offer today is made possible by our long-standing work with these communities and our close collaboration with the organizations that are on the front line of the emergency.”
In March 2020, different institutions like the Mapu Pilmaiquen Community began to prepare and brace themselves for the Covid-19 health crisis. This community normally welcomes thousands of visitors to the Las Isla - Salto La Olla Park, thanks to an agreement with Enel Green Power that gave them the administration of the land. However, the health crisis has limited its main economic activity. Thanks to coordination with different community players, they are now working to produce face masks to prevent the spread of #COVID19, which we will deliver to other communities that need them.
Two electric ambulances to the Chilean Red Cross
Every day, voluntary specialists for the Chilean Red Cross offer psychological, social and healthcare assistance to the most vulnerable people and communities in the face of the spread of Covid-19. They are silent heroes who play a fundamental role. Therefore, the purchase of these new emergency vehicles was urgently needed to facilitate their work. The institution now has the first two 100% electric ambulances in Latin America, and their respective charging station. This will also help reduce operating costs by 70% and avoid 6 tons of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
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“Thanks to the ongoing and exemplary support of Enel, the Chilean Red Cross now has two high-tech and environmentally friendly electric ambulances, the first of their kind in Latin America. They will be used to make preventive health rounds with the homeless and other communities at high risk for Covid-19 contagion, and to quickly transport patients to nearby medical centers if they present symptoms of this disease or others.”
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#CodoACodo with Tiltil
Near the outskirts of the Metropolitan Region, you can find the historical town of Tiltil. Close, yet also far from Santiago. Thanks to the collaborative work with local authorities and the Tiltil Community Hospital, its nearly 20,000 residents now have access to a new high-tech ambulance that will provide greater autonomy for transporting critical patients to the capital city.
“This is a very important sign of how union and solidarity can do good things, and today in this pandemic situation, it can help us support people living in areas that have been hit fairly hard.”
The reinvention of Pilmaiquén
The Mapu Pilmaiquén community normally welcomes thousands of visitors to the Las Isla - Salto La Olla Park, thanks to an agreement with Enel Green Power that gave them the administration of the land. However, the health crisis has limited its main economic activity. Thanks to coordination with different community players, they are now working to produce face masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19, which we will deliver to other communities that need them.
“We are focusing our attention on the SMEs that we have been supporting over the last few years, considering their key role in the development of the local economy and the livelihood of thousands of families, by reinforcing or reconverting their scope of action at a time when resilience is crucial.”
Enel Distribución Chile and Fundación Techo connected against Covid-19
Over two years ago, Enel Distribución Chile began to work in collaboration with the Techo Chile Foundation to provide safe access to electricity for more than 260 families in residential settlements in the municipality of Lampa. However, today the scene has changed and become particularly complex. For this reason, we have focused our efforts on the “Chile Comparte” initiative (in English, Chile Shares) which has managed to deliver donated food parcels to 500 families from 7 settlements in Lampa and Maipu. During 2020, the program will extend to 6 settlements in Maipu and Lampa. Enel is committed to participating in the construction of a more just society, helping reduce the Energy Poverty gap, and playing a key leading role in the development of sustainable cities, supplying energy to improve the quality of life of our clients and the community in general.
The local network of Quintero
Jaqueline Figueroa, like many small store owners in Quintero, was used to welcoming her neighbors at her “Nuevo Horizonte” corner store, but the health crisis has directly affected her sales. At the same time, hundreds of people from the area's most vulnerable groups, especially the elderly, have been exposed to the financial consequences of Covid-19. How can we mitigate these effects? By coordinating a support network aimed at delivering 1,000 boxes of foodstuffs and basic products purchased from local store owners. These store owners, along with the Community Union of Senior Citizen Clubs, the Quintero Firefighters, the Municipal Government of Quintero and Enel Chile have organized the quick and safe delivery of these products, while also contributing to the local economy.
The Quillota support bridge
Quillota is the best example of collaborative work. Along with the Local Economic Development Unit of Quillota (Dideco), the Quillota Municipal Government, and Banamor Foundation, a support bridge has been assembled for the city's most vulnerable families. This network has been used to deliver over 200 packages of foodstuffs and toiletries for families of 3 or more, including 60 in the San Pedro area. The second phase of this initiative will bring personal protection equipment (PPE), such as hand sanitizer, face masks and gloves, to nearly 1,500 volunteers.
#CodoACodo with the boys and girls at Hospital Calvo Mackenna
In early April, the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital began building a pavilion for 20 ICU beds in response to the Covid-19 and to attend to the hospital's young patients. The aim was to begin treating patients as of May. A number of different collaborators joined the campaign organized by the Corporation of Friends of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital (AMICAM) to raise the necessary funds. This collaborative work helped the hospital meet its goal in record time, and thanks to a team effort, the new pavilion is already open and operating.
“We are still moved by the fact that after 34 years we are continuing to carry out the wishes of our founder, Dr. Federico Puga: to make the hospital a friendlier place for sick children, their families and the dedicated medical staff. This has been made possible thanks to our loyal contributors and companies like Enel that have placed their trust in AMICAM. The timely donation by Enel complemented the work that we had been doing to deliver 20 UCI beds during these difficult times.”
U. of Chile Clinical Hospital: We care for those who care for us
The healthcare workers at the University of Chile J.J. Aguirre Clinical Hospital work day in and day out to save lives. In support of the work they do, their collaborators and all of the patients they treat in this fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, Enel Chile has made a donation for the purchase of 150,000 face masks for the center's medical staff and four critical care monitors. Two of these are multi-parameter monitors that can measure heart rate, temperature, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, which are crucial for the ICU beds currently in demand, while the other two monitors are for patient transportation.
More Power Together
Power is not created, it is transformed. Given the enormous challenge faced by the country, the power of our workers is transformed into power for hospitals, drugstores, supermarkets, companies and millions of homes; it is transformed into assistance for our customers who are most affected by the crisis; and it is transformed into digital solutions to protect public health.
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