The awards, totaling $750,000, are part of a multi-year initiative now in its sixth year, funded by the Baxter Foundation – the philanthropic arm of Baxter International – and implemented by Direct Relief. The program supports community health centers and free and charitable clinics in developing programs that integrate nutrition education with chronic disease management and mental health services.

The following organizations will receive funding to support 18-month programs:

• Tampa Family Health Centers – Tampa, Florida – A federally qualified health center serving Tampa’s diverse communities, has launched a weight loss program using lifestyle medicine that integrates nutritional education, physical activity support, behavioral health counseling, and emotional wellness coaching.

• Faith Community Pharmacy – Newport, Kentucky – A charitable pharmacy serving low-income residents across the region has brought together multiple community partners to address barriers to implementing healthy habits and social determinants of health.

• Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center – Clarksdale, Mississippi – A community health center serving rural Mississippi Delta communities, started the Healthy Weight and Wellness Program, addressing critical health challenges, implementing innovative treatment, nutritional access, and education strategies.

• St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy – Cincinnati, Ohio – A charitable pharmacy providing medication access to uninsured and underinsured patients, created a program that offers culturally and economically responsive education tailored to each patient’s lived experience, demonstrating an important step toward advancing health equity.

• NeoMed Center – Gurabo, Puerto Rico – A community health center serving rural Puerto Rico with both fixed and mobile health services, developed the Integrated Nutrition Prescription program targeting patients with chronic conditions, food insecurity, and behavioral health conditions.

Addressing Critical Health Disparities

Community health centers and free and charitable clinics serve as the medical home for over 36 million people living in medically underserved areas across the United States. Patients at these facilities experience significantly higher rates of multiple chronic conditions compared to the general population, with 35% higher chances of having at least one chronic condition and 31% higher odds of having two or more chronic conditions.

“Nutrition is fundamental to managing chronic disease, yet many people face significant barriers in accessing healthy food and nutrition education,” said Maris Steward, program manager & regional analyst at Direct Relief. “These awards enable safety net providers to develop innovative, culturally appropriate programs that address health disparities in their communities.”

Program Impact and Innovation

The Transformative Innovation Awards support integrated healthcare models that go beyond traditional clinical care. Awardees will leverage community partnerships to expand outreach and education, creating comprehensive approaches to chronic disease management that incorporate nutrition counseling and mental health services.

“At Baxter and through the Baxter Foundation, we recognize that effective healthcare extends far beyond clinic and hospital walls and to the everyday lives of people and patients,” said Verónica Arroyave, vice president of corporate responsibility and global philanthropy at Baxter and executive director of the Baxter Foundation. “By supporting community health centers in implementing nutrition-focused programs, we’re investing in innovative, sustainable approaches to address the social determinants of health and advance resiliency in the communities we serve.”

The post Direct Relief, Baxter Foundation Announce 2025 Transformative Innovation Awards in Community Health appeared first on Direct Relief.

For teens in recovery from substance misuse, walking into therapy can be a challenging experience. Many carry the weight of anxiety, depression, ADHD, or other co-occurring psychiatric conditions. And for young people who are part of marginalized groups, traditional treatment settings can feel intimidating, clinical, or simply unsafe.

But when Pauletta, a therapy dog, joined sessions during a pilot project in early 2023, something remarkable happened. Teens completed twice as many sessions when Pauletta was in the room compared to those without a canine companion in the session.

That initial success led to the Canine Assisted Therapy program, which is designed to transform how Denver Health’s therapists provide care among the approximately 800 young people served each year.

While animal-assisted therapy has shown promise in other populations—veterans with PTSD, individuals with autism—there’s been no standardized curriculum for therapists working with adolescents in community mental health settings. The goal is clear of the program at Denver Health is clear: to help teens complete the critical 90-day threshold of treatment that research shows predicts positive outcomes.

Through a partnership with Victory Service Dogs, an organization specializing in training dogs for veterans, Denver Health’s program is training three therapy dogs. Three therapists have been selected to participate, learning not just how to work alongside their canine partners, but how to integrate dog-assisted therapy into evidence-based treatment for substance misuse.

The Denver Health therapy team has already started to modify the canine therapy program with the hope that the curriculum and evaluation methods could be used to train therapists more broadly.

Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity supported the STEP program with a grant via Eli Lilly and Company.

This video was directed, produced, and edited by Oliver Riley-Smith Cinematography.

The post For Teens in Recovery, Dogs Provide Acceptance, Support in a Clinical Setting appeared first on Direct Relief.

“Every day uninsured patients face barriers to accessing basic mental health services they need,” said Carol Richardson, Sustainability and Health Equity Lead, Teva U.S. “This latest round of grant funding will enable clinics in more states to expand existing or develop innovative new behavioral health programs that meet the needs of their local patient populations”.

Over the first two years, Community Routes grantees demonstrated a significant impact across their communities reaching more than 63,000 beneficiaries. Clinics conducted 24,617 patient screenings for depression, anxiety, and adverse childhood experiences, helping identify and address previously unmet mental health needs. The program extended beyond direct patient care, with grantees training more than 2,800 community members, staff, and volunteers in mental health promotion and well-being. Additionally, clinics organized 131 community events to expand access to mental health education and services, strengthening their role as trusted healthcare resources.

Building on these achievements, this funding cycle prioritizes the creation and expansion of innovative care delivery models that integrate behavioral health services into existing clinical operations, with particular emphasis on evidence-based screening tools and treatment protocols for depression and anxiety.

“Mental health is an essential component of overall well-being, yet too many individuals in underserved communities struggle to access the care they need,” shared Nicole Lamoureux, NAFC President & CEO. “This program empowers clinics to bridge this gap by expanding behavioral health services and critical mental health support. By investing in these clinics, we are investing in the health and resilience of entire communities.”

The 2025 grant recipients include:

Alabama:

• Medical Outreach Ministries (Montgomery) – Leveraging academic partnerships through the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s psychiatry residency program to integrate mental health services into primary care.

• Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy (Mobile) – Implementing screening tools for depression and within pharmacy services and connecting patients to necessary resources.

• St. Michael’s Medical Clinic (Anniston) – Integrating mental health services with primary care and social support services to address the complex needs of uninsured and homeless populations.

Mississippi:

• Bethel Free Clinic, Inc. (Biloxi) – Enhancing mental health access for uninsured residents by integrating depression and anxiety screenings into patient care, referring those in need for further evaluation.

Texas:

• Brother Bill’s Helping Hand (Dallas) – Improving mental health access for predominantly Latino communities through integrated care, community-based outreach, and culturally competent services.

• Heal the City Free Clinic (Amarillo) – Implementing community-based stigma reduction programs to increase understanding of mental health conditions and encourage individuals to seek support.

• Health for All (Bryan) – Expanding trauma-informed mental health services access for underserved populations and delivering culturally sensitive services tailored to their diverse community’s needs.

• Ibn Sina Foundation (Houston) – Emphasizing equitable access by addressing the distinct mental health needs of multiple underserved populations.
  
• Mercy Clinic of Fort Worth – Integrating behavioral health services into routine care and establishing patient navigation systems for uninsured Spanish-speaking patients.

• The Agape Clinic (Dallas) – Developing comprehensive mental health support systems, including therapy, case management, and peer support, for the underserved patient population.

• Woven Health Clinic (Farmers Branch) – Integrating mental health services into primary care by offering screenings for depression and anxiety, connection to individual counseling, and treatment plans.

Selected programs emphasize sustainable integration of mental health services through:

• Implementation of standardized screening protocols
• Supporting the clinical workforce through partnerships
• Integration of behavioral health into primary care
• Extending cultural competency across the full continuum of patient care
• Social service referral networks

“Expanding mental health services in resource-limited settings has been a key focus of prior Community Routes funding, and this latest round will allow providers to reach even more people with critical services,” said Katie Lewis, Regional Director of U.S. Programs for Direct Relief. “These funds will allow clinics to build on successful approaches while exploring new strategies that fit the unique needs of the people and communities they serve.”

For a report on lessons learned from our Community Routes: Access to Mental Healthcare grantees, click here.

Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care—a partnership between Teva, Direct Relief, and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC)— is a unique access program that is helping to advance health equity and quality care for underserved populations across the U.S.

Teva is providing commonly used medicines that treat depression and anxiety to 400+ clinics in 10 states, as well as $4 million in grant funding to support innovative behavioral health services through local free and charitable clinics, tailored to meet the needs of their communities. To read more, click here.

The post 2025 Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care Grants Awarded to Clinics in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas, Funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals  appeared first on Direct Relief.

Medications shipped this week included rare disease therapies, diabetes management medications, chronic disease treatments, and more.

Expanding Resilient Power for U.S. Healthcare Safety Net

This week, Direct Relief announced a new $10 million commitment to bring clean, resilient backup power to more facilities that serve low-income people in medically underserved areas across the United States.

Extreme weather events and emergency situations create enhanced health risks for people who rely on nonprofit health facilities. Such events create new health risks and the need for expanded health services, even as the availability of services is likely to be severely reduced or lost due to power outages.

Direct Relief’s Power for Health Initiative provides grant funding to health clinics that serve vulnerable and underserved patient populations to cover the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of solar power and battery storage microgrids. The nonprofit clinics and health centers own the systems and derive 100% of the benefits – the resiliency benefits coming from batteries that provide power in the event of an outage, and the immediate and recurring financial benefits of reduced utility costs coming from generating their own electricity through the solar panels.

More Power for Health projects continue to come online at nonprofit clinics and health centers nationwide, with 20 completed projects in Puerto Rico, Louisiana, North Carolina, and California and dozens in the design and construction pipeline – including in Texas and Florida. The latest facilities where Direct Relief-funded resilient power systems have been completed include Harmony Health Medical Clinic (Marysville, CA), in an area prone to explosive wildfires, and Goshen Medical Center (Tabor City, NC), at high risk of hurricanes.

Read more.

Most Powerful Storm in a Decade, Super Typhoon Yagi Strikes China

A powerful super typhoon struck southern China on Friday, bringing wind speeds of more than 138 miles per hour to the island of Hainan. Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall on the island located south of mainland China, and about 400,000 residents had been evacuated to higher ground ahead of the storm, the strongest recorded in the region since a 2014 storm that killed 46 people.

The storm is expected to cause major damage in Hainan and China’s most populous province, Guangdong. Yagi’s path caused impacts in the Phillippines earlier this week.

Direct Relief is monitoring the storm and its impact and will respond to the region as needed.

Medical Support Arrives for Ukrainian Hospitals

Relief for Ukraine continues, and this week a Direct Relief shipment arrived for distribution in Mykolaiv, located in southern Ukraine. Medicines for treatment of epilepsy, medications for heart conditions, wound dressings and surgical supplies and IV fluids were all included, and will be distributed by the organization Ukrainian Soul to hospitals and emergency medical centers in the region.

Since February 2022, Direct Relief has provided more than $1.3 billion in support to Ukraine and refugees in surrounding countries.

Operational Snapshot

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 302 shipments containing 179,948 doses of medication during the past seven days to organizations, including the following:

AROUND THE WORLD

Globally, Direct Relief shipped over 6.5M defined daily doses of medication totaling 66,227 lbs., to countries including the following:

YEAR TO DATE

Since January 1, 2024, Direct Relief has delivered 17K shipments to 2,125 partner organizations in 54 US states and territories and 85 countries. These shipments contained 316.0M defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.0B (wholesale) and totaled 3.8M lbs.  

In the News

• iHeartRadio Hosts Direct Relief
• Native Health Phoenix “Native Talk Arizona” Features Direct Relief
• The Best Natural Disaster Response is to be Prepared – Newsday

The post Medical Support Departs for 15 Countries, U.S. Safety Net Facilities Get a Resilient Power Boost appeared first on Direct Relief.

These shipments contained 18 million defined daily doses of medication and supplies, including midwife kits, dengue support, hurricane preparedness packs, and more.

Emergency Medical Packs Bolster Guatemalan Fire Preparedness

The Guatemalan Forest Fire Response Brigade BRIF/GUA received a donation of emergency medical backpacks from Direct Relief recently. The backpacks will bolster preparedness for future wildfire events, helping first responders provide emergency medical care.

Unrest In Tila, Mexico Creates Urgent Need

Armed groups burned homes and vehicles and displaced thousands in Tila, a town in Chiapas, Mexico, on June 8, 2024, and more than half the town’s 10,000 residents were forced to leave their homes. The violence, which stems from a broader conflict over territorial control, created even more urgent needs in Tila, where 98% of the residents were already experiencing poverty.

While some displaced people have returned home, the situation remains unstable, with ongoing violence and insecurity.

Nonprofit organization ChildFund contacted Direct Relief for assistance with medical supplies, as shelters and communities lacked essential items. In response, Direct Relief provided over-the-counter medications, vitamins, hygiene products, and other necessities. Direct Relief remains committed to assisting its partners and the affected populations during this crisis.

Strengthening Resiliency After Hurricane Beryl

Direct Relief has mobilized over $2.2 million in emergency medical aid for Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica. This aid includes cots, emergency medical backpacks, essential medicines and supplies, hurricane preparedness packs, hygiene kits, and shelter supplies. Additionally, Direct Relief has allocated $500,000 from the Caribbean Resilience Fund to support relief and recovery efforts in Grenada and SVG.

In Texas, Direct Relief has bolstered support to healthcare providers serving communities impacted by Hurricane Beryl, delivering over $257,300 in medical aid to 14 community health centers, clinics, and charitable pharmacies. Direct Relief also continues to offer its medical inventory to health facility partners through its ongoing Safety Net Support program.

Direct Relief’s initiatives in the Caribbean and Texas aim to strengthen the medical supply chain’s resiliency and ensure continued access to essential medicines. In the coming days and weeks, Direct Relief is prioritizing additional support in four key areas: cold chain storage, dengue prevention and treatment, distribution of personal care kits, and emergency and backup power.

YOUTH VOLUNTEERS Gather AT DIRECT RELIEF

Volunteers assemble 7,000 person care kits at Direct Relief’s Santa Barbara warehouse on July 22, 2024. The kits will be sent to those impacted by Hurricane Beryl and the 2023 Maui wildfire.  The kits contain items, including shampoo, toothpaste, soap, and other essentials.

Operational Snapshot

WORLDWIDE

Over the last week, Direct Relief shipped more than 13.7 million defined daily doses of medication to countries outside the U.S. that include the following:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 748 shipments containing 1.4 million doses of medication during the past seven days to organizations, including the following:

YEAR TO DATE

Since January 1, 2024, Direct Relief has delivered 14,300 shipments to 2,027 partner organizations in 54 US states and territories and 81 countries.

These shipments contained 259.8 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $871.0 million (wholesale) and totaled 3.4 million pounds.

In THE NEWS

• As Doctors Leave Puerto Rico In Droves, A Rapper Tries To Fill The Gaps – Associated Press
• Beyond the Backpack: Direct Relief and FedEx Revolutionize Disaster Relief – Yahoo Finance
• The Use of Technology on the Supply Chain: An Interview with Gordon Willcock – LogiPharma Asia

The post Emergency Support Reaches First Responders, Communities Impacted by Extreme Weather appeared first on Direct Relief.

To overcome these and other barriers, safety net providers across the U.S. are thinking outside the box. In some cases, they’re thinking outside the physical walls entirely. During a recent event at Direct Relief headquarters, several of these innovative clinics, each funded by Teva, had an opportunity to share insights and learn from one another. 

On May 20 and 21, Direct Relief, Teva, and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics hosted the Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care Learning Summit. 

Teva has funded 11 clinics aimed at advancing health equity by increasing access to care for uninsured patients suffering from depression and anxiety in California, Florida, and New Jersey. This learning summit celebrated the extraordinary and often groundbreaking work of these clinics and their staff. 

The event consisted of panel discussions and workshops, where executives, therapists, program operators, and other clinic staff members explored effective strategies for treating their communities.

Topics for discussion included cultural and language barriers, mobile mental health services, approaches to screening, catering to specific demographics, and community outreach. 

Eryn Shugert, Executive Director at Savie Health in Lompoc, California, discussed a clinic program focused on immigrant women who are coping with the trauma of losing a loved one back home. 

For patients experiencing homelessness, Talbot House Ministries in Lakeland, Florida takes a holistic approach to mental health, said Maria Cruz, the clinic’s Executive Director. 

Teaching mental health concepts and tools to community members, so they can teach their friends and neighbors in turn, has been an indispensable tool for the University of Florida Mobile Outreach in Gainesville, Florida, said Dr. Carol Lewis, a clinical psychologist. 

Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care was awarded the 2023 Global Generics and Biosimilars Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative of the Year. 

Clinics at the summit included:

Florida

• University of Florida Mobile Outreach in Gainesville, Florida 
• Grace Medical Home in Orlando, Florida 
• Talbot House Ministries of Lakeland, Inc., in Lakeland, Florida  

New Jersey

• Cape Volunteers in Medicine in Cape May Court House, New Jersey  
• Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative, Inc., in Hackensack, New Jersey  
• Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank, New Jersey  

California

• Samaritan House in San Mateo, California – Samaritan House in San Mateo, California  
• Symba Center in Apple Valley, California 
• Westminster Free Clinic in Thousand Oaks, California 
• Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange, California  
• Savie Health in Lompoc, California  

The post On Improving Mental Health, Clinic Staff Have Wisdom to Share  appeared first on Direct Relief.