Archive for the ‘Disaster Relief’ Category

Disaster Relief from Tornadoes for Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio

Posted on June 7th, 2010 by Liz B.

American Red CrossOur disaster response team is ready and standing by to help those affected by the recent tornadoes and severe weather that have affected parts of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. We’re working directly with our network doctors, business partners, and relief agencies, including the American Red Cross, to assess the situation and fulfill the eyecare needs of those directly affected.

If you need help with eyewear and eyecare services:

  • Any VSP member who has lost or broken their eyewear due to the tornadoes can call our Member Services Support Line at 800.877.7195 to have their VSP benefits reinstated regardless of eligibility.
  • Individuals without VSP coverage can contact their local American Red Cross chapter and request a VSP eyecare voucher.
  • If you have been directly impacted by the severe weather and are in need of eyecare services, please call VSP’s Member Services Support Line at 800.877.7195.
If you are a VSP network doctor that has been directly impacted by the severe weather and are in need of disaster support to continue providing services to VSP members, please call the VSP Disaster Outreach Team at 800.852.7600 x7373.

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Disaster Response Team Reaches Out to Tennessee Doctors Wrecked by Flood

Posted on May 12th, 2010 by Lisa P.

Guest Blogger Lori F.

Lori F. is a Disaster Response Team Member and Marketing Coordinator with VSP in Rancho Cordova, CA. When Tennessee was devastated with heavy rain and flooding, Lori immediately reached out to VSP Network Doctors in the area to see what her team could do. The following are just a few responses from them that shed some light on the damage caused to their professional and personal lives.

Doctor David J. Shen sat in his practice while a foot of water was being pumped out of his first floor office. Fortunately for him, most of his inventory was not significantly affected. He knew Downtown Franklin, TN and surrounding areas were overflown with flood waters so he immediately began to clean up his practice and was determined to provide patients with some level of vision care and quickly as possible.

Tennessee

Photo Source: Reuters

When VSP’s Disaster Response Team reaches out to our providers, more times than not, their personal lives are also affected. This is the case for Doctor John Anderson. His practice didn’t incur any damage from the flood but his home basement wasn’t so lucky. When he bought his home three years ago he didn’t think he needed to purchase flood insurance because he lived outside the flood zone. However, Dr. Anderson was thankful that we were reaching out to his community and was amazed by the quick response time.

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Photo Source: Reuters

Disaster relief services are still available for those who have lost or damaged their glasses from the Tennessee flooding or any type of natural disaster. Find out how to get help.

VSP’s Disaster Response Team was formed in 2007, and since then, we’ve responded to 56 natural disasters throughout the country. We’re currently reaching out to Doctors in Oklahoma and Kansas affected by the tornadoes. My heart goes out to communities affected by natural disasters but it feels good knowing we can provide assistance when they need it most.

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Disaster Relief for TN Floods

Posted on May 11th, 2010 by Jill N
Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

With the disastrous Tennessee flooding continuing to cause major problems throughout the region, VSP wants to remind our doctors, members and non-members of disaster relief services available from VSP, if you are affected by the flooding or any type of natural disaster.

VSP Network Doctors in affected areas: Please email vspoutreach@vsp.com or call 800.852.7600 ext. 5697 to let us know how you are doing and if your office is damaged or closed. We are available to offer any assistance you may need so you can continue to provide care to your patients.

A car is pinned up against a tree by floodwater flowing under a bridge on Sunday, May 2, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. Severe storms dumped heavy rain on Tennessee for the second straight day. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

A car is pinned up against a tree by floodwater flowing under a bridge on Sunday, May 2, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. Severe storms dumped heavy rain on Tennessee for the second straight day. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

VSP Members in affected areas: If you have lost or broken your glasses due to a disaster and need replacements, you (or your VSP doctor’s office) can call VSP’s Customer Care at 800.877.7195 for an authorization for new services.

Non-VSP members in affected areas: If you are a non-VSP member and have lost or broken your glasses due to a disaster and need replacements, you may request a free VSP eyecare voucher from the local American Red Cross.

To find VSP doctor locations, use the “Find a Doctor” feature on vsp.com or contact Customer Care at 800.877.7195.

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Help Needed in Haiti

Posted on January 13th, 2010 by Liz B.

Donate to the American Red Cross to help relief efforts in Haiti.

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Self-adjustable liquid glasses help those in need

Posted on September 23rd, 2009 by Vernon D.
Vernon D. is a member of VSP's Provider Services team.

Vernon D. is a member of VSP's Provider Services team.

A physics professor at the University of Oxford may have found a unique avenue to help those who don’t have access to eyeglasses in developing countries. Joshua Silver has developed frames with the unique ability to adjust to variable strengths, on-the-fly. One frame with the potential to serve millions without a visit to an optometrist?

Here’s a quick rundown on how those glasses work:

The secret of the self-refractive glasses is their lenses. They consist of clear membranes filled with silicon oil, protected by plastic discs. The wearer can adjust the amount of oil in the lenses using a dial fitted to a syringe on the arms of the glasses.

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Disaster Relief for CA Wildfires

Posted on September 1st, 2009 by Jill N
Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

With the current California Wildfires in full force, VSP wants to remind our doctors, members and non-members of disaster relief services available from VSP,  if you are affected by the fires or any type of natural disaster.

VSP Network Doctors in affected areas:
Please email vspoutreach@vsp.com or call 800.852.7600 ext. 5697 to let us know how you are doing and if your office is damaged or closed. We are available to offer any assistance you may need so you can continue to provide care to your patients.

VSP Members in affected areas:
If you have lost or broken your glasses due to a disaster and need replacements, you (or your VSP doctor’s office) can call VSP’s Customer Care at 800.877.7195 for an authorization for new services.

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Station Fire in Southern California, Sept 1, 2009.

Non-VSP  members in affected areas:
If you are a non-VSP member and have lost or broken your glasses due to a disaster and need replacements, you may request a free VSP eyecare voucher from the local American Red Cross.

To find VSP doctor locations, use the “Find a Doctor” feature on vsp.com or contact Customer Care at 800.877.7195.

Smoke and bad air quality can affect your eyes. See tips to protect your eyes from the effects.

Photo: Getty Images

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From the Road – Galveston Visit – Part 1

Posted on August 28th, 2009 by Niki M.
Niki2

Niki M. is a VSP Mobile Clinic Operations Manager.

With just a few weeks short of the one year anniversary to our nation’s 3rd most destructive hurricane, I had the honor to return to Galveston, TX  this week.  Hurricane Ike is estimated to have caused $24 billion in damage and devastated a majority of the city and all of our Galveston VSP doctor’s offices.

Last year, SeeZar, our first mobile clinic, responded within one week  when Ike touched down on September 13 as a category 2 hurricane. We sent a great group of VSP mobile response team members to staff the mobile clinic for a little over 6 weeks of disaster relief.  I was one of those staff members and spent over 4 weeks there.  There were many amazing, heartbreaking, emotional stories we heard from people in the community of how they lost their homes, pets, and even sometimes family members.  I had never been a part of a natural disaster, so not only was it an experience that I will never forget, but it also gave me a whole new appreciation for life and those I love.

Galveston 1

A VSP doctor's office devastated from Hurricane Ike.

We made many good friends during that period of time, including our VSP doctors in the area, all of whom our hearts still go out to.  There were 4 VSP doctor’s offices that were either flooded (some with 6 feet of water!) or had trees fall into their buildings, caved-in roofs, or other major damage that left them unable to work until repaired.  Most offices had to be completely gutted and rebuilt from scratch.  One of the great things that VSP does with our community outreach program is pay the doctors to work on the mobile clinics during disasters, so they are able to make money while the work to get back to business as usual.

During natural disasters,  it is important to VSP, not only give out free exams and glasses, but also help our doctors in need.

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Niki with Drs. Matocha and Ullman and staff.

We had the honor of working side by side with many of these great doctors in Galveston.  Dr. Ngala, Dr. Juarez, Dr. Matocha, Dr. Ullman, and Dr. Zein-Eldin were a few of the doctors that we were able to work with.  Naturally, working with these doctors 6 days a week, for 8 – 12 hours a day, seeing up to 65 patients per day, we created a bond.

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Hurricane Ike Relief: VSP in Galveston, TX

Posted on October 15th, 2008 by Rob L.

After getting into Galveston Island to provide relief services, our mobile clinics team and the Red Cross determined that only one of our clinics would be needed there. The other mobile clinic is currently having some much-needed repair work done and will then proceed with various events that were planned before Hurricane Ike hit.

On another note, many of the doctors we have been able to reach expect to be back in their offices by the end of October or early November. Our doctors and staff have seen over 500 patients aboard the mobile clinic since arriving in Texas and will remain stationed in Galveston through the end of this month.

-Rob

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VSP to Provide Relief to Ike Victims Through October

Posted on October 2nd, 2008 by Rob L.

Here’s a quick update from the front lines of the Hurricane Ike relief efforts:

Galveston Island, one of the areas most severely battered by Hurricane Ike, will soon open up to relief efforts. Currently, our mobile clinic is still serving those in the Houston area, but will join up with the second clinic in Galveston and begin seeing patients there around October 10th.

The population of Galveston is around 57,000 and officials expect 40,000 of them to return next week. The need is so great in the affected areas, that we expect the mobile clinics team to be deployed until at least the end of October and possibly longer.

VSP has been in touch with 3 of the 4 doctors in Galveston and unfortunately all of them have suffered significant damage, but are looking forward to joining us aboard both mobile clinics once they arrive.

To date, we have been over 300 patients and we have shipped 20 boxes of supplies for the team to take to Galveston.

- Rob

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Hurricane Ike: VSP’s Relief Efforts Continue

Posted on September 26th, 2008 by Rob L.

VSP’s mobile clinics team continues to help those in need at the disaster recovery center in Houston. The center holds about 1600 evacuees, many of them now homeless. In addition to receiving a hot meal and a place to rest for a night, evacuees are also able to access the medical services offered, including their eyecare needs that we are happy to provide. 

So far, our doctors and staff have seen nearly 180 patients, and the need continues to grow. VSP will also be sending our second and newest mobile clinic to Houston to join the team as conditions permit. We will then work with our friends at the Red Cross and other relief organizations to determine if both clinics will be moving on to Galveston, or splitting up to serve two different locations.

 - Rob

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