WellMed Charitable Foundation Sets Up $100,000 Emergency Fund For Homeless Wedgwood Residents

    SAN ANTONIO, TX, January 17, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The WellMed Charitable Foundation has set up a $100,000 fund to assist displaced residents of Wedgwood Senior Living, in particular seniors in danger of losing temporary housing funds.

Earlier this week, the management company for Wedgwood announced that as of January 20th, it would stop paying hotel costs for the more than 30 residents who remain homeless as a result of the deadly December 28th fire. More than 200 residents fled or were evacuated from the 11-story complex, which has been declared uninhabitable and is currently sealed.

The WellMed Charitable Foundation Board of Directors met late Tuesday and agreed to make $100,000 in funds available immediately to pay for temporary housing beyond January 20th. Money also will be earmarked to help them transition into more permanent housing, said Carol Zernial, Executive Director of the WellMed Charitable Foundation.

"We're working with organizations who are already involved in serving the residents such as Baptist Children and Family Services, the American Red Cross, and others to identify what they need," Zernial said. "It could be first month's rent, deposits for utilities, rental furniture, or medications while they are waiting to get their personal belongings out of Wedgwood."

Many residents left the Castle Hills housing complex with little more than the clothes on their back. The Foundation plans to create care packages with food, toiletries and essentials such as towels and bed linens to deliver to the neediest residents. Case managers from the partner organizations will determine eligibility and need for the Foundation's assistance.

The Foundation also will help needy residents with moving costs once they are allowed to retrieve their personal belongings from Wedgwood. "We are in this for the long-term with them," Zernial said.

The WellMed Charitable Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Dr. George Rapier, Chairman and CEO of WellMed Medical Management, a senior-focused healthcare company now in its 25th year. Nearly one-fourth of the 200 residents impacted by the Wedgwood fire are WellMed patients.

The WellMed Charitable Foundation (www.wellmedgives.org) is a non-profit 501(C)3 organization that supports seniors and their caregivers with special emphasis on wellness, prevention and living with chronic illness. Established in 2006 by Dr. George M. Rapier III, a noted physician and the Chairman of the Board, the Foundation has contributed more than $3 million to Texas-based non-profit groups. The Foundation oversees several initiatives benefiting seniors and caregivers, including Caregiver SOS resource centers, the Caregiver Teleconnection, and senior center health and wellness programs.

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