"You feel so responsible for these families and you want to do everything you can to keep them safe because they are the most vulnerable group to COVID-19," said Kathy Alt, executive director at The Ballard House. "Unfortunately, cancer and the need for a transplant doesn't stop even though there is a pandemic going on."
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical complex in the world and has about 10 million patient visits per year, and Alt said many of the out-of-town patients and families at The Ballard House have been allowed to extend their stays.
The Ballard House typically houses 40 families and patients, has three staff members per day and a few volunteers to support daily operations, Alt said. However, the nonprofit has not accepted any new families since the COVID-19 outbreak to keep the existing families as safe as possible, she said.
"I have my mask, my gloves and I'm wiping down all of the surfaces in the common areas—kitchens, the laundry rooms, light switches, A/C units, phones—anything that is frequently touched—elevators, carts—all of that is wiped down at least once per day," Alt said. "That's how I start my mornings now."
As of April 23, there are about 20 families left at The Ballard House as some treatments have slowly continued.
Since the pandemic regulations have been in place, The Ballard House canceled two fundraisers and minimized staff members to only one per day, Alt said. There are zero volunteers, she said.
"Although we don't have volunteers coming in to serve the house, we do still have donations and meals that are dropped off," she said. "Folks are pulling into the driveway where we've got an entry with a cart. It's a wonderful, incredible thing to watch."
In addition to help from the community, The Ballard House applied for government grants to stay afloat, but was not awarded in the first round of funding. Alt said the nonprofit will continue to apply in subsequent rounds.
"I would just ask folks to keep supporting the nonprofits in their area," Alt said. "With the oil prices dropping and folks losing their job, the nonprofits are severely suffering. There are some benefits that the CARES Act passed specifically—tax deductions for support of the nonprofits—so if people can help, we could sure use it."
