Friday’s shipments, to be delivered for free by longtime supporter FedEx, contain 20,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and 36,000 bars of soap. These basic but important items help keep clinical staff healthy throughout the flu season, allowing clinics to use their limited resources on other priorities. See a CNN iReport

This is the first of a series of cold and flu season distributions helping support the safety net clinics this winter. Future shipments will be focused on supplies for patients presenting with cold and flu symptoms, including over-the-counter cough and cold medicines appropriate for patients with seasonal colds and flu.

This support was prompted by a nationwide survey conducted by Direct Relief that showed that 80 percent of clinics and health centers have less than a one-month supply of key Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like hand sanitizer, gowns, goggles, and masks, which are needed to protect staff from infection. The survey represented over 30,000 healthcare workers who treat over 4 million patients annually.

“We surveyed our clinic partners on the educated ‘hunch’ that they are already hard pressed and would not have the resources to have built up the recommended stockpiles for an H1N1 surge,” said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief’s president and CEO. Survey participants included nonprofit federally qualified health centers, free clinics, and unaffiliated nonprofit community health centers.

Community health centers and clinics treat the most vulnerable patients on a daily basis and become first responders when medical emergencies and natural disasters strike. Safety-net clinics and health centers provide quality care at little or no cost to patients, a significant percentage of who are uninsured and earn less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line.

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The 500-bed public hospital, which provides free treatment to low-income children up to age 17, is receiving specifically requested Tylenol to help treat fever in patients, as well as 10,000 gloves and 5,000 protective N95 particulate respirators. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified N95 masks for use by clinicians to prevent transmission of the virus.

Direct Relief today dispatched additional N95 masks to clinics in Texas and California, where two new swine flu cases were confirmed in Ventura County. The protective masks help prevent virus transmission to healthcare workers so they will remain able to treat flu patients. In addition to North Central Texas in Wichita Falls, Texas, California clinics that have received supplies include :Clinicas del Camino Real, Ventura; El Proyecto del Barrio, Winnetka; Council of Community Clinics, San Diego; United American Indian Involvement, Los Angeles; Bell Gardens Family Medical Center, Bell Gardens.

The CDC and public health officials are encouraging individuals to practice good hygiene to protect themselves from the H1N1 virus. A public health emergency has been declared in the United States and Mexico to free up resources as needs arise.

Direct Relief’s H1N1 Flu response team will continue to monitor the situation as it progresses. The organization has extensive experience in responding to emergencies both national and international, including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 to Myanmar’s Cyclone Nargis  in 2008.

The post Direct Relief Sends Swine Flu Aid to Mexico Pediatric Hospital and Additional U.S. Clinics appeared first on Direct Relief.

Christ Clinic in Katy, Texas is receiving N95 masks. The following clinics in California will be receiving the masks as well: Northeast Valley Health Corp., San Fernando; Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics, Irvine; Laguna Beach Community Clinic, Laguna Beach; and Vista Community Clinic, Vista.

Since word of the flu’s spread last week, Direct Relief has been in contact with national, state, and local partners and government bodies to offer assistance and provide targeted emergency response. These nationwide contacts include: National Association of Community Health Centers and National Association of Free Clinics. State-level contacts include: California Emergency Medical Services Authority, California Volunteers, California Primary Care Association, and Texas Association of Community Health Centers. Santa Barbara area contacts include: Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, and Doctors Without Walls/Santa Barbara Street Medicine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommend that healthcare providers in contact with potential swine flu cases use surgical N95 respirators to assist in protection against exposure to microorganisms and very small particles such as fine aerosolized droplets produced by coughing. N95 respirators fit closely around the nose and mouth, offering greater protection than a regular face mask to help prevent transmission of the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday raised the swine flu outbreak to Phase 4, or the human-to-human transmission stage, which indicates that preventing transmission is an appropriate measure. The new viral strain, which appeared originally in Mexico, has been identified in 64 people in the U.S., with 105 cases worldwide, according to the WHO. It has not caused any fatalities in patients outside of Mexico.

Direct Relief has expanded offers of assistance to its longstanding network of partners in 59 countries should the disease expand into their respective areas.

The post Direct Relief Sends Requested Materials to Safety Net Clinics in Response to Swine Flu Outbreak appeared first on Direct Relief.

Tapping into local and state emergency response networks, Direct Relief has also been in contact with the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) and Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, which coordinates with public health officials statewide on surveillance and official response activities.

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed eight nonfatal cases of the new H1N1 influenza A virus in California and Texas. Health facilities in those states bordering Mexico, where the virus first appeared, are keeping a watchful eye on patients presenting with flu symptoms. The World Health Organization is collaborating with Mexico and the U.S. to monitor the situation.

Direct Relief quickly mobilized today to contact its extensive network of partners in the U.S., including NACHC. NACHC’s director of emergency management requested donations of antiviral medications as a precaution in light of flu cases in California and Texas.

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