The shipments contained 2.6 million defined daily doses of medication, including cardiovascular drugs, vitamins, personal care products, surgical supplies, PPE, and more.

The organization is tracking and responding to multiple emergencies across the globe and will continue to do so.

Supporting Pakistan’s flooding recovery

As Pakistan continues to recover from recent flooding, local hospitals and clinics are providing healthcare to those impacted. To support these efforts, Direct Relief delivered 55 tons of donated medications and supplies to Murshid Hospital, which hosted health camps in the region.

The donated medical assistance was provided by Abbott and included critical aid such as glucose strips and meters, antibiotics, nutritional products, mosquito repellant, and more.

Hurricane Nicole

On Wednesday, Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall in the northwestern Bahamas, triggering evacuations and forcing residents into shelters. The storm then made landfall the following day on the eastern coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. Tornado watches are in effect on Friday for parts of North Carolina, northeastern South Carolina, and Virginia.

Direct Relief has staged emergency medical supplies at four Florida sites in the projected storm path. Each emergency cache contains more than 210 medical items most needed in the wake of a hurricane, including trauma supplies, a range of antibiotics, syringes, basic first aid supplies, and medications to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and severe allergic reactions.

ebola outbreak in Uganda

In response to a recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda, Direct Relief is preparing to ship nine pallets of emergency medical items to the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU) is expected to arrive in the country next week. The shipment includes PPE and other requested items to protect frontline workers providing care across nine locations in the outbreak zone.

Direct Relief is also providing UNMU a $10,000 emergency grant for logistics and bolstering a community awareness campaign in coordination with the Uganda Ministry of Health.

Tornado Response

Among the buildings destroyed by the deadly tornadoes spawning from a storm that stretched from Texas to Oklahoma was Kiamichi Family Medical Center, which serves 8,808 patients across southeast Oklahoma. In response, Direct Relief has committed an initial emergency operating grant of $50,000 to Kiamichi Family Medical Center and will continue supporting its recovery and rebuilding efforts.

flu vaccine campaign

As the country experiences a sharp rise in influenza infections — with the CDC reporting 4,326 patients hospitalized due to influenza in the week ending Oct. 29 — seniors and other patients across Los Angeles County received free flu vaccines this weekend thanks to QueensCare Health Centers.

The vaccines were donated by Sanofi & provided to QueensCare by Direct Relief.

Ukraine

Since Feb. 24, Direct Relief has provided medical aid to Ukraine weighing more than 2.1 million pounds, or 1,038 tons, with more on the way.

This month, Direct Relief has provided critical emergency items to Ukraine, including nutritional products, gastrointestinal drugs, insulin pens, and more.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 842,296 defined daily doses of medication outside the US.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Ukraine
• Tanzania
• India
• Lebanon
• Pakistan
• Malawi
• Ethiopia
• Djibouti

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 379 shipments containing 1.7 million doses of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Cactus Health Services, Inc., Texas
• Health Services Inc., Alabama
• VOCES, Puerto Rico
• Programa de Vacunacion Puerto Rico Department of Health Centro de Distribucion, Puerto Rico
• EXCELth Primary Health Care, Louisiana
• Medical Science Campus University of Puerto Rico-San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Flagler County Free Clinic, Florida
• Health Care for the Homeless City of New Orleans, Louisiana
• Clearwater Free Clinic, Florida
• Hill Country Mission for Health, Texas

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2022, Direct Relief has delivered 17.4K shipments to 2,151 healthcare providers in 53 US states and territories and 89 countries.

These shipments contained 504.6 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.5 billion (wholesale), totaling 10.7 million lbs.

The post Responding to Hurricane Nicole, Pakistan Flooding and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

Trogus has worked extensively in Afghanistan, most recently in 2019 and 2020 as a Gender Advisor to the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense’s Gender and Human Rights directorate.

When the U.S. military pulled out from Afghanistan in August, she received hundreds of calls from her Afghan partners asking for help exfiltrating the country.

Working to help them escape, Trogus reached out to base leadership at nearby Marine Corps Base Quantico, which was hosting thousands of Afghan refugees, to learn more about what they needed.

The answer: medical supplies and nutritional support, especially for pregnant women, new mothers, and infants.

“Some just had a small backpack, they weren’t able to bring many items,” Trogus told Direct Relief about the Afghans who were able to evacuate. “There were so many refugees coming to sites, so demand was high,” she said.

Wondering how she could help, she began to think of her friends and personal contacts in her community. The answer would come from her daughter’s scout troop – she discussed the situation with a fellow mother, Whitney Bowman-Zatzkin, who runs a healthcare consulting firm.

“…This was another wave of tremendous grief and anxiety and it became just as important to help a friend who was in need as it was to help refugees in need,” Bowman-Zatzkin said.  

Bowman-Zatzkin mined her healthcare-related network, including her father, a physician, and connected with a charitable pharmacy, NOVA ScriptsCentral, where she serves as a board member. She hoped they would have a line on donated baby formula and other staples for pregnant women, new mothers, and infants. Meanwhile, she and Trogus bought formula and other supplies, out-of-pocket, to try to help.

“She was able to work her magic,” Trogus said.

At NOVA ScriptsCentral, Executive Director Donney John contacted Abbott Laboratories to request their Pediasure nutritional supplement. As the company was processing the donation request, a senior executive suggested John connect with Direct Relief, a longtime partner of NOVA ScriptsCentral—which he did. The following evening, five pallets of requested items were packed at Direct Relief’s warehouse in California, ready to ship across the country to Virginia.

The shipment included more than 14,000 bottles of Pediasure, Similac and Ensure, hygiene kits, Dove soap, and disinfectant wipes.

For John, the mission was similar to the daily work he and his colleagues do to support local safety-net clinics. It also reflects the sometimes unexpected ways that safety net health providers can further contribute to their neighborhoods.

“Our goal is always to work to serve underrepresented communities. We serve many undocumented individuals and others who are new to the country. This continues the mission and is not anything that’s out of the ordinary for us,” he said.

Last year, NOVA ScriptsCentral provided 2,647 people with medications valued at over $3 million and supported other organizations with close to 20,000 pieces of PPE, including 20,450 masks. Since 2006, NOVA ScriptsCentral has dispensed $80 million worth of medications to partner clinics for distribution to 30,000 low-income, underserved, and uninsured patients.

“We are helping the people who have no insurance. There are not many resources available to these communities. When you’re cash-paying, undocumented, you don’t qualify for many benefits. We fill that void. Were we not around, there would be countless numbers of people who would be struggling to get life-saving medicines,” he said. NOVA ScriptsCentral relies primarily on private donations from local foundations and individuals.

Once the shipment arrived last Thursday at NOVA ScriptsCentral, Trogus and her husband, along with Bowman-Zatzkin and her husband, came to pick it up.

“We had been buying and collecting 20, 30, maybe 50 bottles, so when I saw a tower of hundreds of bottles, I stared at it and couldn’t get out of the car. I had to catch my breath,” Bowman-Zatzkin said. “It was really overwhelming,” she said. John and the NOVA ScriptCentral staff processed the shipment and then helped load the supplies onto Natalie’s truck and trailer, which she and her husband then transported to Quantico.

Asked why individuals and not the Department of Homeland Security – the agency responsible for Afghan refugees – led the effort to get supplies, Trogus was uncertain. She did note that the community response has been so substantial that it “overloaded the capacity” of the base to process all the donations.

Regarding the request for pre-mixed formula, Trogus said that there are concerns about the ability to sterilize the sinks refugees have access to on the base and potential misunderstandings due to labels written in English.

Though her career has taken her to the high levels of strategic advisory roles, Trogus sees her work in helping refugees here in the U.S. within a continuum of the work she has been doing to help further gender integration and human rights in Iraq and Afghanistan – as well as in the U.S. She was a pioneer in her role as a combat engineer, a role previously closed to women.

Describing the past months as “very challenging, stressful, and hard,” Trogus said that she has kept in constant contact with her former colleagues, many of whom she became very close with. “I personally never left Afghanistan,” she said.

And even as the larger forces can seem overwhelming, for Trogus, her actions over the past weeks to help newly-arrived mothers and children, as well as thousands of others, came down to something very fundamental for her.

“My Marine brothers and sisters needed help and I helped them to the best of my ability,” she said.

Direct Relief has supported Afghan refugees through its long-standing partnerships with NOVA ScriptsCentral, Asian University for Women, Hope Foundation, Reach Out WorldWide, and directly to the Afghan Girls Robotics Team.

The post Community Effort Affords Afghan Refugee Mothers Baby Formula appeared first on Direct Relief.

In the year since, Direct Relief has emerged as one of the largest charitable providers of personal protective gear (PPE) and critical care medications globally, having delivered more than 82 million units of PPE, 173 million defined daily doses of vital medicines, and 36 thousand pieces of diagnostic and intensive care equipment to thousands of local organizations across 100 countries, including the U.S.

The organization has also supported health care providers with more than $50 million in direct financial assistance to sustain care and expand services that include mobile and pop-up testing sites, telehealth expansion, and greater cold chain capacity.

For an overview of Direct Relief’s activities in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, please continue reading.

Financial Summary

Covid-19 Pandemic Donations

Jan. 27, 2020 – Jan. 27, 2021

Direct Relief does not accept government funding. Its work is made possible entirely through the support of companies, organizations, foundations, and individuals.

The organization recognizes that supporters who made generous contributions of funding, services, and in-kind goods amid the pandemic did so with the specific intent that their contributions fight Covid-19 and its devastating consequences. In accepting funds as part of its Covid-19 response, Direct Relief understands that these supporters deserve to know precisely how those funds have been and will be disbursed.

Direct Relief received more than 151,000 financial contributions designated for Covid-19, totaling $125.8 million.

Some of these Covid-19-designated donations also had additional restrictions from donors requiring the funds be used for a particular region or country. All designated funds have been respected, administered, and disbursed accordingly.

How Were Funds Used

Direct Relief initiated its Covid-19 response activities using general operating funds. As Direct Relief began receiving funds donated for Covid-19, it expanded its activities and spending accordingly. The situation remains dynamic, with designated funds continuing to be accepted. Direct Relief takes great care to deploy incoming funds responsibly, efficiently, and as rapidly as possible, consistent with donors’ intent.

The following offers a snapshot of the total Covid-19 donations received over the past year:

To date, Direct Relief has spent or committed a total of $83.5 million in cash (66% of the $125.8 million received) in its pandemic response — which continues at high-pace.

Of that amount, $40.8 million has been spent or committed as direct grants to organizations on the frontlines of the pandemic, $35.6 million has been spent on purchasing essential medical items not available through donation, and $7.1 million was spent to distribute all material and financial assistance provided in response to Covid-19, as described below.

Covid-19 Response

By the numbers

Jan. 27, 2020 – Jan. 27, 2021

Grant Making

Medical Aid

Protective Gear

Medical Material Support

Direct Relief has been responding to the pandemic since its earliest days, beginning with requests for help from overstretched hospitals in Wuhan, China. From there, Direct Relief’s response quickly expanded to the United States and the rest of the world.

Since Jan. 2020, the organization has provided support to more than 3,000 partner organizations fighting Covid-19 worldwide.

As of Jan. 27, 2021, that support has included more than 29,000 medical aid shipments totaling 4.9 million pounds and valued at $1.3 billion. Medical aid has reached organizations in 55 U.S. states and territories and 100 countries.

Material support has taken several distinct forms:

• Supplies to protect frontline health workers: Direct Relief provided masks, gloves, gowns, powered air-purifying respirators, face shields, and other PPE to health care organizations globally.
• Medical resources for intensive care: As the pandemic strained hospital resources, the organization provided ventilators, oxygen concentrators, and ICU medications to help overstretched hospitals treat patients with critical cases of Covid-19.
• Ongoing support for chronic health: To minimize interruptions to essential health services, including primary and specialty care, maternal and child health services, mental health treatment, and substance use disorder interventions, Direct Relief provided a wide range of support — chronic health medications, the overdose-reversing medication naloxone, midwife kits, and more.

Direct Relief arranged for and managed the logistics, transport, and delivery of all products to health facilities – free-of-charge.

Direct Financial Assistance

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, designated contributions have allowed Direct Relief to bolster the health care system with financial assistance and support the efforts of locally run organizations with strong ties to their communities.

Thanks to corporate and individual donors’ generosity, Direct Relief has granted more than $53 million in cash worldwide since Jan. 27, 2020.

Grant recipients include health centers, clinics, and locally run organizations providing vital care, testing, and other health care services during the pandemic. These grants helped sustain strained health facilities, keep patients out of hospitals, maintain continuity of care, and fund Covid-19 testing and vaccinations.

For a list of health care facilities and organizations worldwide that have received direct funding from Direct Relief in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, click here.

Covid-19 Response

By Region

United States

• Grants Disbursed: $48.6 million
• Material Aid Provided: $284.3 million
  • Shipments: 28.8 thousand
  • PPE: 21.3 million units
  • Medications: 48.6 million Defined Daily Doses
  • ICU Kits: 178
  • Ventilators & oxygen concentrators: 1,046

Americas

• Grants Disbursed: $405 thousand
• Material Aid Provided: $341 million
  • Shipments: 260
  • PPE: 8.2 million units
  • Medications: 61.1 million Defined Daily Doses
  • ICU Kits: 84
  • Ventilators & oxygen concentrators: 1,497 units

Asia

• Grants Disbursed: $1.3 million
• Material Aid Provided: $169.6 million
  • Shipments: 234
  • PPE: 4.1 million units
  • Medications: 15.6 million defined daily doses
  • ICU Kits: 58
  • Ventilators & oxygen concentrators: 420 units

Africa

• Grants Disbursed: $1.26 million
• Material Aid Provided: $489 million
  • Shipments: 234
  • PPE: 42.4 million units
  • Medications: 27.9 million defined daily doses
  • ICU kits: 73
  • Ventilators & oxygen concentrators: 326

Europe

• Grants Disbursed: $503 thousand
• Material Aid Provided: $33.1 million
  • Shipments: 50
  • PPE: 1.4 million units
  • Medications: 1.5 million defined daily doses
  • ICU kits: 4
  • Ventilators & oxygen concentrators: 524

Applied Research and Analytics

Even before the pandemic, Direct Relief had facilitated emergency managers’ use of population movement and other data for decision-making purposes, including in Texas, California, and Michigan.

When Covid-19 hit, it was immediately apparent that this kind of data would be an essential tool for analyzing social distancing effectiveness.

In March of 2020, Direct Relief, with researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, established the Covid-19 Mobility Data Network. The network, comprised of a group of about 70 infectious disease epidemiologists and other researchers, began creating simple, usable data projects to help public health officials and policymakers understand the impacts of social distancing measures in a given area.

Officials have used the group’s research and information tools in the UK, Spain, Italy, India, Australia, Botswana, Chile, and other countries. The data used for these analyses is hosted on the UN’s Humanitarian Data Exchange, allowing governments worldwide to receive support or analyze the data themselves.

While the Covid-19 Mobility Data Network was convened because of an emergency, Direct Relief and the researchers wanted to ensure that similar data would be readily available in a clear and actionable form and on an ongoing basis for future crises, including wildfires and hurricanes.

CrisisReady, working with the World Bank, is in the initial stages of creating a global emergency response network, which will launch in March-April of 2021.

In addition, Direct Relief is funding two researchers whose essential work combines population movement data and health crisis analysis: Pamela Martinez at the University of Illinois and Amy Wesolowski at Johns Hopkins University.

Among the resources developed by Direct Relief to inform and track its pandemic response are the following:

• The Covid-19 International Vulnerability Index examines population movement data and information about case counts, hospital beds, and other vulnerability indicators to generate actionable information and analysis.
• The United States forecast map draws on anonymized data to predict the spread of Covid-19.
• The United States pandemic response tracker shows Direct Relief’s distribution of medical aid across the country.
• The international pandemic response tracker shows the organization’s global distribution.

Looking forward

The remaining funds designated for the pandemic will enable Direct Relief to continue its worldwide response, focusing on:

1. Supporting vaccination efforts

• Expanding cold-chain storage and transport at hospitals and health centers and providing coolers for mobile vaccination campaigns.
• Providing needles and syringes to administer vaccines.
• Supplying PPE to health workers giving vaccinations.
• Funding education, awareness, and outreach campaigns at health centers and hospitals, particularly in poor communities and communities of color.
• Employing digital tools and artificial intelligence to determine low vaccine uptake areas and provide that information to policymakers and public health officials.
• Funding health centers that experience reimbursement gaps after administering vaccines.
• Increasing Direct Relief’s internal capabilities to receive, store, and distribute the vaccine.
• Supporting the opening of large-scale vaccination sites with funding and supplies.
• Providing back-up power sources to health care sites at risk of power loss, which can destroy vaccines.

2. Addressing Covid-19 gaps in hardest-hit areas

• Funding health initiatives in primarily minority communities hit disproportionately hard by the pandemic.
• Providing grants to health care providers in the United States and around the world struggling to care for patients affected by Covid-19.
• Continuing to provide critical care medications, oxygen concentrators, and ventilators to hospitals worldwide caring for Covid-19 patients.
• Supplying PPE to providers unable to access these lifesaving supplies reliably.
• Establishing and funding Covid-19 treatment and isolation wards ensures that low-resource areas have the resources to care for Covid-19 patients safely.
• Providing health care support for Covid-19 patients to recover at home, freeing hospital beds for more critical cases.

3. Continuing support for people with other health care needs:

• While global health resources are diverted towards preventing and treating Covid-19, fundamental health care needs continue.
• Babies continue to be born. The number of people with chronic conditions like diabetes and cancer is only growing. And children with diabetes, hemophilia, and rare diseases still need lifesaving therapies.
• As the pandemic continues, Direct Relief will continue to provide the essential medical aid required for their care.

Thank You

Direct Relief’s extensive ability to provide a wide range of medical aid, from PPE to medications intended for critical cases of Covid-19, would not have been possible without in-kind and financial donations from dozens of pharmaceutical and medical supply companies, with air transport and logistical services provided by FedEx.

Many of these organizations work closely with Direct Relief on an ongoing basis to fund and supply humanitarian projects and programs. However, the outpouring of support from corporate partners, both new and ongoing, has been unprecedented during the Covid-19 pandemic. Direct Relief is deeply grateful for their generosity and commitment.

Included among them are:

The post Covid-19 Relief: One-Year Report on Use of Funds and Response Activity appeared first on Direct Relief.

The funding from Direct Relief will be provided through the Direct Relief + Abbott Fund COVID-19 Community Grant Program, made possible by a donation from the Abbott Fund, the foundation of the global healthcare company Abbott.

The grants will support 25 federally qualified health centers in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. The program helps health centers to strengthen their capabilities to safely and effectively screen, test, triage and treat COVID-19 cases and provide clinical education to patients in the communities they serve.

Nearly 30 million people in the U.S. – a majority of whom are members of underserved ethnic and racial groups – rely on federally qualified health centers for their health care needs.
“Health centers across the U.S. are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and their work is more critical than ever,” said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. “Through these grants, Direct Relief and the Abbott Fund aim to bolster the efforts of the safety-net health facilities on which so many patients, families and communities rely for care and guidance in this public health crisis.”

The 25 health centers to receive funding include the following:

• San Fernando Community Health Center, CA
• Northeast Valley Health Corporation, CA
• JWCH Institute Inc., CA
• Universal Community Health Center, CA
• Comprehensive Community Health Centers, CA
• Los Angeles Christian Health Centers, CA
• Westside Family Health Center, CA
• AAA Comprehensive Healthcare, CA
• Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles, CA
• Community Health Alliance of Pasadena, CA
• St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, CA
• Via Care Community Health Center, CA
• QueensCare Health Centers, CA
• Herald Christian Health Center, CA
• Borinquen Medical Centers, FL
• Camillus Health Concern, FL
• Jessie Trice Community Health System, Inc., FL
• Esperanza Health Centers, IL
• Erie Family Health Centers, IL
• Lynn Community Health Center, MA
• Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, MA
• North Hudson Community Action Corporation, NJ
• Open Door Family Medical Center Inc., NY
• Community Healthcare Network NY,
• William F. Ryan Community Health Center, NY

The post Health Centers Get Philanthropic Boost to Expand Covid-19 Testing in Underserved Communities appeared first on Direct Relief.

“A lot of the testing around this area was all drive-through, so if you didn’t have a car you couldn’t be tested,” said Burrell, the regional director of Roots’ South Bay clinic.

That was true of many of the South Bay clinic’s patients. Overwhelmingly communities of color – “probably 99% of the folks we serve are people of color,” Burrell said – with many unhoused and a high number of chronic conditions, Roots’ patients were particularly at risk.

They knew it. And they wanted to be tested. Burrell was receiving frequent calls from patients who had symptoms or were worried about exposure. Some wanted to bring in family members who weren’t already patients.

And while the clinic was doing some testing in the parking lot – “the nurse practitioner would run out the door with the medical assistant in PPE” – it wasn’t a permanent solution.

Under the surface

The experience Burrell described – of already-vulnerable patients not able to easily access Covid-19 testing – wouldn’t surprise Dr. Georges Benjamin, director of the American Public Health Association.

Not much information on the equity of Covid-19 testing access is available. However, Dr. Benjamin said, “we’ve always had challenges getting to some communities – the poorer, the more underserved communities.”

Still, as testing materials have become more available and the parameters of who is eligible have broadened, Dr. Benjamin said, those groups are at risk of being left out again. Testing sites “often did not result in convenience, particularly in communities with fewer resources,” he said.

Drive-through testing doesn’t work for people who don’t have a car, Dr. Benjamin explained. Testing site hours may not be convenient for people doing public-facing work.

And in addition, “I think when people have to set up a site, they may look around where they may tend to get the best land, where the most traffic is. That does not tend to be in the inner city.”

“We don’t know a whole lot about testing inequities, but we sort of presume that they’re there,” said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, a professor of environmental health and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “We obviously see very obvious disparities…in our case numbers, our hospitalizations, and our deaths.”

Dr. Nuzzo explained that most states are only reporting on testing numbers at the state level, so it’s hard to get a good sense of where testing is taking place – and who’s getting tested. Only four states are currently providing data on Covid-19 testing by race, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

In addition, Dr. Nuzzo said, many states are only reporting the number of tests given – not the number of people tested.

While Dr. Nuzzo said that the number of positive tests provides a somewhat better picture of how much Covid-19 infection is really present, “positivity is not a perfect metric, because you could have a low positivity if you test all the wrong people.”

That has real consequences.

“We are now making decisions of policy and practice that depend on having an accurate case count,” Dr. Nuzzo said. “If we’re not collecting the right data, if we’re missing important pieces of data, then we’re not going to have the right answer.”

Mobile solutions

For Roots, the solution came in the form of a temporary testing site, coordinated with the local public health department, in the parking lot of San Jose’s Antioch Baptist Church.

“We were looking for a place that was really well known and that would be in the community,” she explained.

The church – a local historical landmark – was conveniently located for patients and highly recognizable.

To make the experience more appealing, staff workers use bright-colored tents and a circular setup. “It almost looks like a big fair,” Burrell said. “It’s kind of colorful, kind of pretty, but then you see all of us folks in PPE.”

Ann Langston, senior director of strategic partnerships at Church Health in Memphis, Tennessee, reported an experience similar to Burrell’s.

“We have testing sites all over town that people can go to for free. They are woefully underutilized,” she said. “We need to go where people need to be tested.”

Working with other local clinics, Church Health has begun using a mobile medical unit to offer pop-up testing sites. Like Roots, they focus on bright colors and a festive atmosphere, “which sounds weird to be a testing site, but it has worked,” Langston said.

Langston described testing one family who arrived at a testing site to find that everyone – including a child present with the group. “That’s what we want to stop, because that family then could infect how many others?” she said. “Whereas if they could just stay home…that would make a huge difference.”

In addition, Church Health has partnered with the local food bank to distribute boxes of food – and fresh produce – to people who show up at testing sites.

Care in the community

Their success likely wouldn’t surprise Dr. Benjamin, who explained that health care organizations and public health departments have long employed mobile units as a way to provide care – including breast and cervical cancer screenings, vaccinations, and other essential health interventions – to harder-to-access communities.

“The point is you’re providing the testing close to the community, so the community can get the test,” he explained.

In particular, mobile units have been shown to be a costly but “from a clinical perspective, very efficacious” way to bring health care to vulnerable communities.

And health centers and clinics across the country are using mobile units and temporary testing sites to offer Covid-19 testing to seniors, agricultural workers, and homeless communities.

“Being able to take the mobile unit to different locations, different communities, makes us able to reach out further than what one clinic can do,” said Francisco Alemán, chief medical officer at Northwest Health Services in Missouri, which has provided testing to all three groups.

Gail Jackson-Blount, the chief development and communications officer at Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center in Massachusetts, explained that her health center hasn’t yet been able to offer mobile testing.

Thanks to a grant from Direct Relief and the Abbott Fund (the foundation of the global healthcare company Abbott), that’s about to change.

“We feel it’s extremely important right now, because, in particular, a majority of the people we serve…are those who are considered in that high-risk category,” Jackson-Blount said.

Harvard Street plans to offer mobile testing three days per week – more, if demand requires it.

According to Jackson-Blount: “That will help us to reach many more people.”

To support health centers working to expand access to coronavirus testing and treatment — primarily in diverse, under-resourced communities across the U.S. that are affected disproportionately by COVID-19 — Direct Relief and the Abbott Fund established the Direct Relief + Abbott Fund COVID-19 Community Grant Program. The program helps health centers safely and effectively screen, test, triage and treat COVID-19 cases and provide clinical education to patients.

The post Making Covid-19 Testing Equitable by Making it Accessible to Vulnerable Communities appeared first on Direct Relief.

As a gesture of gratitude, Direct Relief has named the office building within the headquarters in honor of Dr. Elings, a nanotechnology pioneer, former University of California Santa Barbara physics professor, and philanthropist.

“Direct Relief is deeply grateful to Dr. Elings for his generosity in making this building a reality,” said Thomas Tighe, president and chief executive officer of Direct Relief. “This contribution is the capstone gift to those so generously made by hundreds of other individuals, foundations, and companies for which Direct Relief will be forever thankful.”

Direct Relief today also acknowledged the crucial role FedEx and others have played both in supporting Direct Relief’s ongoing operations and in helping fund its new global distribution center. FedEx donated $3 million to help fund the building’s construction.

“FedEx is privileged to be able to support Direct Relief in this mission,” said David J. Bronczek, president and chief operating officer of FedEx Corp. “We believe the new distribution center is a critical asset for humanitarian response which will enable the secure delivery of medications and other health essentials. We are honored to work alongside Direct Relief and stand ready to help provide communities around the world access to the resources they need, especially in times of disaster.”

Direct Relief runs the largest charitable medicines program in the United States and is among the world’s largest providers of humanitarian medical aid. The organization was the first and remains the sole U.S. nonprofit organization to obtain the highest accreditation for the storage and distribution of prescription medications and to be licensed to distribute such products in all U.S. states and territories.

The new 155,000-square-foot headquarters and distribution center, nearly four times the size of Direct Relief’s previous facility, was built to meet both heightened federal requirements related to secure storage and distribution of prescription medications as well as the increased demand for humanitarian assistance stemming from emergencies and areas of chronic need.

Direct Relief provided medical aid to recipients in 100 countries last year. From its new facility — during the week of January 21, 2019, alone — Direct Relief delivered aid shipments to Afghanistan, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Philippines, Romania, Senegal, Ukraine and 37 U.S. states.

Among other benefits, the new facility allows Direct Relief to keep on hand medical aid needed to respond to natural disasters including hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires, and is designed as an energy island, able to generate electrical power to run its operations for months in the event of a protracted grid shutdown.

Direct Relief announced its $40 million fundraising campaign in September 2016, initially securing $25 million in private contributions and pledges from individuals, foundations, and businesses including Abbott and BD, with lead gifts from FedEx, the Zegar Family Foundation, and Dorothy Largay and Wayne Rosing. Members of Direct Relief’s Board of Directors also were instrumental in the completion of the building, providing more than $12.5 million in funds and donated services. These board members include Dorothy Largay and Tom Cusack, who co-chaired the capital campaign, and Mark Linehan, president of Wynmark Co., who managed the development of Direct Relief’s headquarters project on a pro bono basis.

“Building this facility was the largest project in Direct Relief’s 70-year history, so we are pleased that the campaign exceeded its goal, was concluded early, and that the project itself was completed on time and on budget,” said Tighe.

The post Direct Relief Completes 155,000-Square-Foot Distribution Hub for Humanitarian Medicine appeared first on Direct Relief.

NEW: Florence is now a category 4 hurricane. Data from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter indicate that Florence has continued to rapidly strengthen and has maximum sustained winds near 130 mph (195 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 946 mb (27.93 inches) https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/wfLt6fJPl2

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 10, 2018

Direct Relief has offered support to more than 200 healthcare partners that are currently in the storm’s projected path to coordinate potential relief efforts. At the start of hurricane season, hurricane-specific medicines and supplies were also prepositioned in locations serving high-risk areas along the coast and can be opened by health centers should they be needed.

Hurricane preparedness is central to Direct Relief’s emergency efforts in the United States, and began with the organization’s response to Hurricane Katrina in 2004.

Essential medicines and supplies are delivered to secure locations near hurricane-prone areas prior to hurricane season each year. The organization also keeps a stock of emergency medical supplies at its headquarters for high-risk areas should the need for additional support arise.

Financial support from Direct Relief’s long-time partner, FedEx, supported the delivery of hurricane-specific medicines and supplies donated by the following companies:

3M; Abbott; Alcon; Apotex; BD; Boehringer Ingelheim; Lilly; Merck; Omron; Pfizer; Sanofi.

Direct Relief is closely monitoring Hurricane Florence and will continue to provide information as the situation evolves.

The post Hurricane Florence: Essential Medicines and Supplies Staged as Storm Approaches East Coast appeared first on Direct Relief.

Hurricane Bud, the second Category 4 storm to approach Mexico in the past week, is continuing to track northwest along the western coast of Mexico.

The most intense wind activity is not predicted to impact land; however, torrential rain could cause flash flooding and increase landslide risk in Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco later in the week. Up to 12 inches of rain is expected in these areas.

Direct Relief is preparing a Hurricane Response Module, which contains essential medicines needed to treat patients in emergency situations, to be shipped to Mexico-based organizations and medical facilities in the region, should the need arise.

Intra-Mexico Logistics

Direct Relief operates the world’s largest charitable hurricane preparedness program, and keeps emergency modules preassembled at its headquarters, ready to send in the event of a disaster.

As a registered nonprofit in Mexico, Direct Relief helps Mexican hospitals, clinics, and foundations gain access to medical products that are needed to make a difference in the lives of Mexicans with a serious disease or illness or affected by emergencies. This includes work to address non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as to manage emergency and disaster preparedness and response activities in Mexico.

Since receiving Donataria Autorizada status in 2015 – a designation that permits Mexican residents to receive tax benefits for their humanitarian donations – Direct Relief has provided more than $22 million in donated medicines and medical supplies to health facilities throughout Mexico.

Contributions from companies that include Abbvie, Abbott, BD, FedEx and Baxter, which have a significant presence in Mexico, have allowed medicines and medical resources from within the country to be routed to areas of high need.

This model of domestically-sourced humanitarian assistance proved invaluable during the 2017 earthquakes, which rocked Mexico City and the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas and left hundreds dead and critically injured.

The quakes prompted Direct Relief to establish a warehouse in Oaxaca as a secondary distribution point, adding to the organization’s main logistics hub in Mexico City.

As Hurricane Bud approaches land, Direct Relief stands ready to mobilize its in-country inventory and logistics infrastructure to support local health centers and emergency response agencies.

The post Hurricane Bud Churns Path Along Mexico’s Coast appeared first on Direct Relief.

The airlift contained nearly 40 tons of medications and medical essentials, amounting to $20.6 million (wholesale) in donated medications, nutritionals and medical supplies. More than two dozen healthcare companies provided these items, which included extensive quantities of intravenous solutions and prescription medications for acute conditions and chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

“The airlift’s arrival reflects the ongoing concern and support for Puerto Ricans from thousands of people, including those at the dozens of companies who have stepped forward to help,” said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. “The need and importance of the medical and health resources for people who need them is obvious, but the fact that they are here only because people from all walks took some action is particularly meaningful during the holiday season.”

The following companies contributed donations of medicine, supplies and funding for the flight:
3M, Abbott, AbbVie, ABF Freight, Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Amgen Foundation, Ansell Healthcare, Baxter International Inc., Bayer, BD, Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories LTD., Eli Lilly and Company, Essential Oxygen, GSK, Henry Schein, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Kaleo Pharma, Mylan, Nephron Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Prestige Brands, Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Sundial Brands, Teva Pharmaceuticals, USA, Trividia Health, Vaseline, and We Care Solar.

“Amgen Foundation is proud to support Direct Relief’s tireless work to meet the ongoing health needs of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria,” said Eduardo Cetlin, president of the Amgen Foundation. “Direct Relief continues to play a critical role in fulfilling the need for medical resources following the storm, and our support of their efforts reflects our commitment to the people.”

Since Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept. 20, Direct Relief’s private assistance efforts have totaled over 218 tons (423,644 lbs) of specifically requested medical essentials valued at more than $52 million wholesale to bolster the health system and enable care for Puerto Rico’s residents. Direct Relief has provided these resources via 181 deliveries to more than 50 nonprofit health centers, public health facilities, emergency medical teams, and locally run nonprofit organizations focused on diabetes, vaccinations, and women’s health throughout Puerto Rico.

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The Direct Relief-chartered MD-11 cargo jet contained $21 million (wholesale) in donated medical resources from 44 companies (full list of companies below), including extensive quantities of intravenous solutions and prescription medications for acute conditions and chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension that can rapidly become medical emergencies if not managed. 

“This airlift will go a long way towards helping our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico, and I am eternally grateful to Direct Relief and all of the organizations involved,” said President Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, and founder and board chair of the Clinton Foundation. “Their efforts are a reminder that when so many people need our help, our common humanity matters even more.”

The Clinton Foundation has supported Direct Relief’s work for years, including the recovery efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014. In the response to the Caribbean hurricanes this year, the Clinton Foundation has helped to coordinate and advise the team at Direct Relief.

Businesses Step Up to Fill Resource Gap

Direct Relief works with dozens of healthcare companies’ philanthropic arms on an ongoing basis to address public health needs and humanitarian crises across the globe and in all 50 U.S. states.  This private philanthropic support from businesses, as well as philanthropic support from individuals, foundations, and organizations has enabled a massively stepped-up response to assist in Puerto Rico, where health services have been severely constricted by the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Maria.

44 companies joined in filling specific requests that Direct Relief received from nonprofit health centers, government facilities, and private hospitals in Puerto Rico – all of which have been struggling to restore and expand services to care for the island’s more than 3 million residents.

“Direct Relief has been a wonderful partner for Eli Lilly and Company,” said Rob Smith, senior director of corporate responsibility and president of the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.  “We have worked together to get insulin to those impacted by the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria.  Lilly could not ask for a more capable, responsive, and compassionate partner.  We are so grateful for all of the things Direct Relief is doing to help the great people of Puerto Rico recover from this terrible disaster.”

The medicines and supplies on the flight were donated by the following companies:

3M; Abbott; AbbVie; Alcon; Allergan plc; Amneal Pharmaceuticals; Apotex Inc.; AstraZeneca; Baxter International Inc.; Bayer; BD; Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Cera Products, Inc.; Cipla; Coola Suncare; CVS; DayOne Response; Ethicon; GSK; Henry Schein, Inc.; Integra LifeSciences; InTouch Health; Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson; Kaléo; LifeScan; Magno-Humphries Labs; Medtronic; Merck & Co., Inc.; Mylan; Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Noble Laboratories, Inc.; Novartis; Pfizer Inc.; Prestige Brands; Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Sanofi Foundation for NA; Sappo Hill Soapworks; Starbucks; Teva Pharmaceuticals, USA; Trividia Health; Vaseline; Wisconsin Pharmacal Company. 

Responding to an Unprecedented Hurricane Season

Today’s airlift follows several weeks of smaller-scale airlifts and hand-carried medications and emergency medical resources to dozens of Puerto Rico’s nonprofit health centers and medical teams organized by the Puerto Rico Department of Health.

Among the critical items has been 565 vials of blood-clotting factor for children with hemophilia, 15,600 vials of insulin, 35 pre-kitted emergency medical packs containing a broad range of Rx medications and supplies, as well as 1500 solar lights and over 4000 bottles of insect repellant to protect against Zika virus.

Direct Relief’s response in Puerto Rico has been concurrent with extensive responses to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma that preceded Maria.

Since Hurricane Harvey’s landfall on August 25, Direct Relief has sent 148 tons of medications, vaccines, and medical supplies valued at $64.7 million (wholesale) and including 19 million defined daily doses of Rx medications delivered via 560 emergency shipments to 143 partner organizations in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, USVI and seven Caribbean countries.

In addition, Direct Relief has provided and committed financial support in the form of grants totaling over $2.7 million to 43 nonprofit health centers and clinics and their primary care associations in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

The post 76-Ton Airlift of Medicine and Medical Supplies Lands in Puerto Rico   appeared first on Direct Relief.

More than 1 million people in Haiti are still in need due to the hurricane, and disease remains rampant, with almost 4,000 cholera cases reported since Oct. 4.

Direct Relief was quick to respond to healthcare partners after the storm and will continue to do so through the recovery.

Financial Summary

Direct Relief received more than 3,000 Hurricane Matthew-designated financial contributions totaling $827,962; including pledges, the total increases to $1,071,266.

Direct Relief recognizes that the generous supporters who pledged and gave more than $1 million in response to Hurricane Matthew did so with the express intent that their contributions benefit people affected by the storm.

In accepting funds for Hurricane Matthew, Direct Relief understands that both those who contributed — and the people for whose benefit the contributions were made — deserve to know, in detail, how Direct Relief is using these funds.

*Direct Relief does not rely on government funding.

The Response

As the world’s attention shifts, Direct Relief remains committed to supporting the needs of local healthcare providers in Haiti and the U.S.

United States

Direct Relief shipped $1.3 million worth of supplies to impacted communities in the U.S. after Matthew. Five tons of medicines and medical supplies were sent in 29 different shipments.

Before the storm made landfall, Direct Relief had prepositioned emergency medical modules in the hurricane’s path. Two were opened after the storm, one at the Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in North Carolina, and another at the Franklin C. Fetter Health Care Network in South Carolina.

Each U.S.–bound pack contains enough medicines and supplies to treat 100 patients for three to five days after a hurricane hits.

Haiti

Roadways and bridges were washed away by the storm, and some of the hardest-hit communities in the southwestern part of the country also proved the most difficult to access. In the following weeks, Direct Relief used any means possible to transport aid, including by helicopters and ships.

Since Oct. 4, Direct Relief delivered $10 million worth of medicines and medical supplies to Haiti – nearly 20 tons. That included more than half a million daily doses of medication.

Material Support

Below is a list of companies that contributed medical resources to the response.

Looking Forward

Cholera persists as a life-threatening force in the country, and Direct Relief will continue to supply partners with supplies to treat this preventable, but deadly, disease. Direct Relief is continuing to deliver shipments of oral rehydration salts, IV equipment and other needed supplies.

The next delivery is scheduled to arrive in the coming days with more than 500,000 water purification sachets. Each sachet can clean 10 liters of drinking water. In total, the shipment will result in nearly 1.5 million gallons of safe drinking water.

The shipment will also contain oral rehydration salts, which can be mixed with the purified water to restore the electrolytes of a dehydrated person.

The post Hurricane Matthew: The Response Continues appeared first on Direct Relief.

A little after 5 pm, ten years ago, I cold-called a number a colleague gave me. Hurricane Katrina just made landfall in New Orleans.

Malvise Scott, the Senior Vice President of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), answered the phone. Direct Relief had just concluded a successful pilot program to provide medications free-of-charge to community health centers and clinics in California. I asked Malvise if this service might benefit similar health facilities in the hurricane’s path. Direct Relief had responded for decades to disasters internationally, but the organization had never mounted a broad-scale relief effort in the United States.

After a thorough vetting, Malvise connected me with state leaders in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

In the six months after that phone call, Direct Relief provided more than $50 million (wholesale) in medical assistance to community health centers in the Gulf.

Not only was the response among the largest in Direct Relief’s history, but it shaped the organization’s next ten years.

Katrina made it clear that community health centers served a critical role in emergencies. So, to be ready for the next disaster, Direct Relief set out to establish relationships with a nationwide network of safety net providers.

Ten years later, Direct Relief supports more than 1,200 health centers, free clinics, public health departments, and other social service agencies in all 50 states. These providers, in turn, operate more than 4,000 clinical delivery sites and care for an estimated 12 million people annually. The network is the largest of its kind.

Building this national support network required Direct Relief to evolve its operations in ways that are unique for nonprofits. In 2009, Direct Relief became the single nonprofit in the U.S. accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy – a prerequisite for delivering prescription medicines to health facilities in all 50 states.

The investment paid off. Time and again — from Hurricanes Gustav and Sandy to tornadoes in Missouri and Oklahoma to the wildfires currently raging in the West — the network has proven its resilience in disasters.

Since 2005, Direct Relief has delivered $500 million in medical aid and more than $10 million in financial support to U.S. health centers and clinics treating those in need.

It wouldn’t have happened without support from the private sector. Dozens of companies have provided the resources and means to deliver needed medicines to patients who couldn’t afford them otherwise. Abbott provided the seed funding to establish a Hurricane Preparedness Program that pre-positioned medical supplies with health facilities in disaster-prone areas; BD provided millions of insulin needles and syringes to low-income patients to help them manage their diabetes. Teva provided 500,000 inhalers to people with asthma, and FedEx helped get these medications and supplies to hundreds of thousands of low-income patients throughout the U.S.

The same is true of NACHC – a partnership that’s ten years in the making.

I still remember that phone call to Malvise a decade back. At the time, all I could think about were the lives in the balance. Today, that call carries additional significance. It represents a nationwide support network that’s helped countless individuals recover from or avoid a crisis like Hurricane Katrina.

The post From Hurricane Katrina to a Nationwide Community Health Network appeared first on Direct Relief.

A June 10 report issued by Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population noted that 375 of the 446 public health facilities and 16 private facilities in Nepal’s hardest hit regions were destroyed, with the highest near-term priority being the resumption of health services, including the provision of logistics to provide drugs and supplies, to care for both injured persons and the general population.

“The Nepal earthquakes delivered a cruel blow, causing more people to need care and destroying the places where they can receive it,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief. “Private resources are keenly needed as part of the collective effort, and we are deeply thankful to the companies that have again stepped up to help in such a substantial way.”

The 21 healthcare companies listed below contributed to today’s airlift, which contains 5,350,173 defined daily doses (DDDs) of medications, trauma and wound care supplies, and thousands of liters of oral rehydration solution (Pedialyte) – acutely needed in a country where cholera is endemic and posing a heightened risk.

The post Earthquake Recovery: 21 Healthcare Companies Making a Difference in Nepal appeared first on Direct Relief.

The Sumba Foundation is a nonprofit community health and development organization established to provide assistance to the population of the Indonesian island of Sumba. Located between Bali and West Timor, Sumba is one of the closest Indonesian islands to Australia. The island, which has an estimated population of close to 700,000, is exceptionally beautiful but one of the poorest in the entire Indonesian Archipelago.

Sumba is the only island in Indonesia where a majority of the population still closely follows ancestral traditions dating back thousands of years. Studied by anthropologists and featured in National Geographic and on the Discovery Channel, the Sumbanese people are best known for their megalithic stone grave sites, unusual peaked bamboo and thatch houses, and colorful rituals and ceremonies.

In the remote regions of Sumba, outside the two main towns, most of the people live without access to clean water, basic healthcare services, or education. Malnutrition is widespread, malaria is rampant, and infant and child mortality is high. This is the case for the majority of residents who live in western Sumba where the foundation focuses its development work.

The goal of the Sumba Foundation is to improve the lives of the Sumbanese population and offer long-term solutions to some of their most pressing challenges without disrupting their cultural traditions. To accomplish this, the foundation focuses its efforts on providing primary healthcare services with a special emphasis on malnutrition and malaria, increasing access to potable water, improving sanitation systems, and increasing education opportunities.

In 2003, the foundation established its first medical clinic and has subsequently constructed four additional facilities in the region. These five outpatient clinics are staffed primarily by nurses and community health workers and serve a total population of approximately 20,000 people. Over the years, Direct Relief has provided $177,000 of medications, supplies, and equipment items to the clinics.

The diet in Sumba consists primarily of cassava, supplemented with corn and rice. Cassava is a low-protein starchy staple, and although it is tasty and filling, it is not highly nutritious. In fact, cassava has the lowest protein-to-energy ratio of any staple crop and a diet based on cassava typically provides less than 30 percent of the minimum daily requirement for protein and only 10-20 percent of the required amounts of iron, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin E. This limited diet often results in chronic protein and micronutrient deficiencies which can have detrimental short- and long-term effects.

In an effort to combat the high levels of malnutrition among the local population, especially young children, the Sumba Foundation started a nutrition education teaching program in 2008 that is now being taught in 13 foundation-supported schools. They also established direct intervention protocols to be used in severe cases of malnutrition which involve teaching mothers about the importance of healthy food, as well as how to make nutritious meals for their families. In addition, powdered milk, eggs, and vegetables are provided to families until the affected child or children reach a healthy weight to height ratio.

This recent donation of PediaSure will help support the Sumba Foundation’s ongoing nutrition programs.

The post Children in Indonesia Receive Nutritional Support from Abbott appeared first on Direct Relief.

His mother had passed away after his delivery and Sokhem went to live with his grandmother, who was not able to afford baby formula after his first four months and eventually could only feed him watered-down porridge.  Not knowing what else to do, his grandmother turned to AHC for help.

Sokhem is one of the 150,000 children treated every year at AHC, many of whom come from severely impoverished homes. Many children and families suffer from common communicable diseases (like pneumonia) because of a lack of knowledge concerning basic health needs, including diet, hygiene, and general health.

Malnutrition is a common reason for admission to the hospital, which is why Direct Relief is highlighting this important work in conjunction with Global Child Nutrition Month, observed in April.

For nearly a decade, health care supporter, Abbott, the Abbott Fund, Direct Relief and AHC have worked together to make a significant impact in addressing childhood malnutrition in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

AHC serves as the pediatric department for Siem Reap’s Provincial Hospital, treating children from neighboring provinces in Cambodia as well. Providing outpatient, inpatient, acute, emergency, surgical, low-acuity, dental and ophthalmologic care, AHC has treated more than one million children since 1999. Currently the outpatient department sees 500-550 children each day, has 47 inpatient beds, plus eight special care baby unit beds – with six more opening in the second half of 2014.

The hospital has developed and implemented a program to help educate children’s families about proper nutrition as part of their hospital stay.  While the child is an inpatient, AHC staff provide nutritional food to the parents, and then teach them how to prepare and cook nutritional food for when they return home. AHC has an expansive garden where they grow vegetables and herbs to both use in the cooking classes and to send home with children’s families.

During Sokhem’s month-long stay, he gained nearly 20 pounds. His grandmother received nutritional training and now helps him and his family stay on a proper diet and practice safe hygiene. He is doing well under her care.

They remain connected to AHC as the hospital staff conduct home visits to people living in remote areas to follow up on care received at the hospital or to see new patients.  During these home visits, doctors and nurses educate the parents on healthy eating and also bring along bags of healthy food for the family to eat.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of AHC, thousands of children throughout Cambodia, like Sokhem, are living longer, healthier lives.

*Name changed to protect patient privacy.

The post Fighting Childhood Malnutrition in Cambodia appeared first on Direct Relief.

“This, for me, is like a Nobel Peace Prize,” said Sakena graciously as she received the award at a reception held  Friday night at the Bacara Resort & Spa.

The Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) is an Afghan women-led nongovernmental organization founded in 1995 to provide teacher training to Afghan women, education for boys and girls, and health education to women and children.

Under Sakena’s leadership, AIL has established itself as a groundbreaking, visionary organization which works at the grassroots level and empowers women and communities to find ways to bring education and health services to rural and poor urban girls, women, and other disenfranchised Afghans.

“In our time, there are very few people who have done so much for as many people as she has,” said Direct Relief President and CEO, Thomas Tighe, of Sakena’s accomplishments.

Since 2005, Direct Relief, AIL, Abbott, and Abbott Fund have worked together to support education and health services for women and children in Afghanistan.

During this time, Abbott has contributed more than $4.5 million worth of medicines and nutritional products and Abbott Fund has awarded $1.2 million in cash grants, which has enabled more than 1.5 million women and children to receive health education and services at AIL clinics. 

“Individually, we could not accomplish what we have,” Sakena said of the collaboration.

With financial support from Abbott Fund, Direct Relief has been able to help AIL develop programs that support the health and well-being of disenfranchised Afghan women by providing them with access to nutrition, health education, and quality medical services.

“Direct Relief is like my second family,” said Sakena while visiting headquarters on Friday.

Today, AIL operates three maternal and child health clinics and one basic health clinic in rural Afghanistan: two in Herat and two in Kabul.  AIL also supports clinics at two orphanages in Herat and provides mobile clinic support.

AIL employs Afghan women who are aware and sensitive to the challenges faced by their peers and have developed successful programs and activities to address these barriers and engage women in the community.

The post Sakena Yacoobi Earns Champion for Women’s Health Award appeared first on Direct Relief.

Nutritional supplies continue to be distributed to people living in the state of Guerrero, Mexico who are still recovering from severe storms and heavy flooding that damaged many of the region’s poorest communities earlier this fall.

The delivery of more than 11,000 units of rehydration solution and nutritional supplements generously donated by Direct Relief’s supporter, Abbott, is being used to help families stay healthy and be able to rebuild their communities.

Local doctors based at a health center in Cacahuatepec disbursed the aid to people who live in places where their regular water supply has been tainted due to infrastructure damage caused by the storm and/or where food supplies were lost during heavy flooding. The nutritionals will also help combat an increase in diarrhea and dehydration noted by medical professionals treating people in the areas affected.

The Emergency Response Team is working on additional shipments of medicines and supplies to help people in Guerrero. Please subscribe to this blog to receive updates regarding this response.

Related posts: Nutritional Aid Arrives for Mexico Flood Survivors; Organizing Flood Relief Efforts in Mexico

The post Nutritional Aid Provided to Mexico Flood Survivors appeared first on Direct Relief.

A shipment of vital nutritional supplies arrived this week to aid people in the state of Guerrero, Mexico who were affected by severe storms and heavy flooding in late September that damaged many of the region’s poorest communities.

With medical professionals in the area reporting an increase in diarrhea and dehydration in the affected communities, the delivery of the rehydration solution Pedialyte from health care company Abbott will help survivors stay healthy in Mexico.

Left untreated, dehydration caused by diarrhea can become deadly if body fluids and electrolytes are not replaced. It’s especially dangerous for older people and young children.

Abbott also donated nutritional products to aid recovery efforts, including PediaSure for children and Ensure for adults.

The aid was delivered to the State of Guerrero’s seven Health Jurisdictions who are overseeing the medical response efforts for the flooding emergency.

Direct Relief’s Eduardo Mendoza and one of our professional volunteers from GlaxoSmithKline, Ana Pasillas, met with high-ranking officers managing the relief efforts on the ground to help coordinate this effort.

The Emergency Response Team hopes to send an additional shipment of medicines and supplies to help people in need. Please continue to follow our Twitter account @DirectRelief for updates regarding this response.

Related post: Organizing Flood Relief Efforts in Mexico

The post Nutritional Aid Arrives for Mexico Flood Survivors appeared first on Direct Relief.

On our first day in Siem Reap, David Shoemaker of Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) took our team along with him on a home care visit.

ACH runs a program in which 2 to 3 times a day, a team of medical professionals drive outside of the city into the countryside to follow up with kids that were previously treated at the hospital for anything from malnutrition to HIV.

No more than a 10 km drive outside of Siem Reap and the setting changes drastically.  Dirt roads washed out by heavy rain and riddled with massive potholes make it extremely difficult for Cambodians to access healthcare services (hence the importance of these home visits).

In fact, the first day we joined the team, we came upon a group of men rebuilding the road.  We turned around, chose another route, drove for another 45 minutes to find the only other road to our patients washed out completely and impassable.  It was disheartening to say the least, but good to know that AHC will reschedule with the three patients they planned to see.

Fortunately, the second day we successfully visited three houses.  The AHC nurse followed up with three children and their families, bringing food and medicine and advice for further care.

For me, the experience stressed the importance of increasing access to healthcare in Cambodia. I’m glad to know that AHC’s home care program is supported by the Abbott Fund and Direct Relief.

A few days later, we walked the streets of Steung Meanchey, the slums of Phnom Penh, with Scott Neeson of our partner, the Cambodian Children’s Fund.  Each night, he checks in on families, identifies kids that he brings into the CCF satellite schools, and tends to the sick. Scott not only knows all of the kids in the neighborhood by name, but also their backstory, birthdays, and other personal facts.

Many of the kids we came across had at one point been severely malnourished, but nursed back to health by the attention of CCF and the PediaSure donated by Abbott and Direct Relief.

The CCF staff was remarkable and seeing the impact that this collaboration of organizations has made on the village was truly encouraging. Everybody I’ve met thus far simply says thank you to all who support Direct Relief.

Related post > Improving Childhood Nutrition in Cambodia

The post From the Field: Providing Care for Children in Cambodia appeared first on Direct Relief.

Malnutrition is a significant global health problem, particularly in the developing world, where many people lack access to clean water, nutrient-rich food and proper sanitation. People living in these conditions frequently suffer from diarrhea which exacerbates the problems of malnutrition.

According to the WHO, “The impact of repeated or persistent diarrhea on nutrition-related poverty and the effect of malnutrition on susceptibility to infectious diarrhea are reinforcing elements of the same vicious circle, especially among children in developing countries.”

Malnutrition is often a precursor to other serious health issues, as it leaves patients weak and unable to fight infections. In areas where malnutrition is rampant, nutritional products are critical to patients who need to be strong enough to begin treatment for HIV, cancer, and other advanced infections and disease.

Since 2005, Direct Relief has delivered Abbott’s Ensure, Pedisure, and Pedialyte to the Afghan Institute of Learning in Afghanistan as a part of a large-scale Maternal and Child Health program, to ensure the proper nutrition of mothers and children living in abject poverty. In Guatemala, which has the fourth highest rate of malnutrition in the world, Abbott has donated products such as Ensure to help provide nutrition to people in need.

Additionally, Abbott has consistently provided nutritional donations during times of disaster; having these nutritional products available in disaster settings for patients who have been displaced from their homes and endured trauma is life-saving.

Abbott also worked with Direct Relief to develop a strategic initiative to help communities to prepare for potential disasters. Since 2006, Abbott has been an integral part of Direct Relief’s Hurricane Preparedness Program, which prepositions modules containing nutritional products  and other emergency medicines and supplies with clinics and hospitals in hurricane-vulnerable areas in the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Since the program’s inception, the modules have expanded to include a wide array of critical care products from numerous health care companies, and have enabled effective, immediate care following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and in response to hurricanes in the U.S. Gulf states.

The post Support From Abbott Helps Ensure Proper Nutrition for People in Need appeared first on Direct Relief.

AHC is a pediatric teaching hospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia that provides free, quality healthcare services to impoverished children. AHC offers inpatient, outpatient, surgical, and HIV care at no cost, and also is a regional leader in training hundreds of Cambodian doctors and nurses every year at their Medical Education Center.

Direct Relief has partnered with AHC since 2006 and—through generous support from the Abbott Fund—AHC has developed a comprehensive nutrition education program to help families combat malnutrition and lead healthier lives.

Staff at AHC provides inpatient and outpatient education, and proper dietary and hygiene practices are taught to the children and their families who attend the hospital. By providing patients and their families with nutrition and health education, AHC strengthens not only the families’ ability to prevent malnutrition and disease, but also their communities’, as the families transfer the information they gain to their relatives and neighbors.

Since 2006, Direct Relief, Abbott and the Abbott Fund have helped AHC provide nutrition classes to over 12,000 families and nutritional assessments to over 600,000 Cambodian children. In addition, AHC has trained nearly 900 healthcare providers and government workers, who subsequently treated more than 125,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition.

As a direct result of AHC’s work, hundreds of thousands of Cambodian children are living happier, healthier lives. See the work in action in this video from AHC.

The post Improving Childhood Nutrition in Cambodia appeared first on Direct Relief.

Diabetes is growing rapidly in South and Central America, where more than 26 million people live with the disease. Bolivia is no exception.

In Cochabamba, Bolivia’s third-largest city where CVCD’s  headquarters are located, an estimated 10 percent of adults have diabetes. CVCD, a recognized leader in diabetes education, detection and treatment, has trained hundreds of diabetes educators, and identified thousands of diabetes sufferers and referred them for treatment. Since its foundation in 2000, CVCD has serviced more than 100,000 people who make up this growing population.

Diabetes in Latin America is a severe condition, as treatment is expensive and health coverage lacking. According to Muñoz, in Bolivia “if you have diabetes, you’re on your own.” Thus, many diabetes patients reach advanced stages of the disease and suffer from related health conditions, including blindness and poor circulation.

CVCD’s mission is to provide education, supplies and services to the Bolivian people, regardless of their financial situation. “We work with really poor people,” said Muñoz. “It’s very eye-opening to hear stories of these people with diabetes.”

One of the first obstacles confronting people with diabetes in Bolivia is the social stigma. Many Bolivians don’t realize diabetes is not contagious, and because of this misconception, those with diabetes often feel ostracized from their community, said Muñoz. CVCD runs a psychology clinic to service patients with psychological needs, and also tries to correct this stigma with their education efforts.

Direct Relief has been a long-time supporter of CVCD, sending the first shipments of medical equipment in 2002. “We still use that furniture today,” said Muñoz. CVCD has seen much growth since then, recently moving to new facilities in Cochabamba, with financial help from the Abbott Fund and Direct Relief and donated products from Abbott. The new buildings include not only medical treatment facilities, a pharmacy, and education conference rooms, but also a nearby health food restaurant where patients can improve their diet.

“We want to be a comprehensive service to people with diabetes, and offer as much as we can,” said Muñoz. After the move to the new facilities, the number of people visiting the clinic and buying supplies more than doubled. “These numbers prove we needed new buildings,” he said. “Now we can provide many more services and help more people.”

Another recent development in CVCD comes in the information technology (IT) department, where Muñoz specializes. The organization decided to use iPads to improve accuracy and access of patient data.

“We used to run all patient data on paper,” said Muñoz. This proved difficult when extracting statistical information. “We realized we should find a way to digitize everything, and decided on the iPad,” he said. Now, all nurses and doctors at CVCD carry iPads and are able to use a specially-designed app (created by Muñoz himself), to record patient data. Social workers also bring iPads on home visits to patients, allowing the geomapping system to record and analyze trends in diabetes rates and location. The possibilities of the system mean CVCD can reach more people, especially in rural places, where access is most limited.

CVCD’s success as a diabetes nonprofit is becoming more well-known in the region, as shown by a recent training visit to Venezuela. A Venezuelan diabetes nonprofit requested CVCD staff to come and do training on successful diabetes education. “I see this as an important activity because people not from Bolivia are starting to recognize CVCD,” said Muñoz.

He is hopeful that sometime in the future CVCD can offer this diabetes education training online to a wider audience and become a hub for the entire Latin American region. With help from continued support and technological improvements (like Muñoz’s iPad app), the organization can continue to service people living with diabetes in Bolivia.

The post Helping Bolivians With Diabetes Access Comprehensive Care appeared first on Direct Relief.

Here at Direct Relief, we are collaborating with ministries of health, nongovernmental organizations and leading healthcare companies to equip front-line health providers in 45 developing countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America with the supplies they need to provide HIV testing, treatment, and support for people living with or at risk of HIV infection.

On World AIDS Day, Direct Relief celebrates two key programs that made substantial gains in preventing HIV infection in children and improving quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS in 2012.

In June, Direct Relief, along with its supporters Abbott and the Abbott Fund, reached a major milestone by distributing 20 million rapid HIV tests free of charge to HIV testing and counseling programs serving pregnant women and their families in 43 developing countries.

By making sure health providers have rapid HIV tests to serve their clients—the first step in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV—Direct Relief is excited to be part of the remarkable progress made in recent years in reducing new infections among newborn children.

To date, more than 150 partner organizations have participated in the program, serving more than 8,000 health facilities. HIV-positive mothers identified through the program can be referred to anti-retroviral therapy to help prevent their child from being infected with HIV.

The UNAIDS 2012 World AIDS Day report indicates that half of the global reductions in new HIV infections in the last two years have been among newborn children, perhaps one of the biggest achievements in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

In celebration of World AIDS Day, Direct Relief is releasing the Diflucan Partnership Program Map, an interactive map that highlights the significant achievements made by Diflucan Partnership Program since 2000, including the provision of over 89 million defined daily doses of Diflucan to people living with HIV in 60 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The Diflucan Partnership Program seeks to improve access to Diflucan (fluconazole), an essential anti-fungal medicine, for patients living with HIV. In Fiscal Year 2012 alone Direct Relief distributed more than $122.6 million in Diflucan to governments and nongovernmental organizations free of charge.

The Diflucan Partnership Program is critical to ensuring HIV patients with two serious fungal infections—cryptococal meningitis and esophageal candidiasis—have the treatment they need and can lead healthy and productive lives.

The post Celebrating Victories in the Global Fight Against HIV appeared first on Direct Relief.

Flooding, power outages, transportation disruptions, fuel shortages, and cold temperatures played havoc with the health and well-being of large numbers of people from all walks of life. Newark Community Health Centers, Inc (NCHC), one of Direct Relief’s partners, was a lifeline for the many of the city’s poorest residents. One of the largest federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in the country,  NCHC treats more than 100,000 patient encounters annually.

Following the storm, NCHC attentively tracked risks of nutritional shortages and chronic healthcare treatment disruptions for their mostly low-income patient population. According to Janice Woodford, NCHC’s director of nursing, when the power went out many people who were already food insecure lost what food they did have due to failure of their refrigerators. Re-purchasing food became a significant hardship.

With the help of generous donations from Abbott and rapid transportation from FedEx, Direct Relief supplied essential nutritional products to NCHC for immediate distribution to their patients, just days after power was restored. As Newark continues to recover, Direct Relief will remain in close contact with our partners like NCHC to make sure that essential health needs continue to be met.

The post Delivering Essential Post-Sandy Nutritionals In Newark, NJ appeared first on Direct Relief.

Inside the 44 boxes unloaded from the FedEx truck that arrived at the clinic this morning were Ensure, PediaSure, Pedialyte and ZonePerfect bars donated by Abbott. Health center staff said food and nutritional products are one of their biggest needs right now because many of their patients have been without electricity and have no means to cook or maintain proper refrigeration.

Serving more than 19,000 patients of all ages each year, NCHC is one of the largest providers of comprehensive primary care services for the uninsured and medically underserved populations in one of the country’s most densely populated cities. Their network has seven sites in or near the Newark area, four of which were closed through Wednesday. The others re-opened Thursday and Friday.

Direct Relief also visited Damian Family Care Center in Queens. The medical director, Dr. Zamar Raza, said the clinic had minimal interruption in services after the storm as surrounding neighborhoods survived the storm with little loss of power or flooding.

She said their biggest challenge has been maintaining a steady flow of medications to their affiliate center, Samaritan Village, a residential inpatient drug treatment program. The patients there  get medications from a pharmacy in Rockaway that is currently under water. She said they have had to redirect all of their medications to another pharmacy.

Direct Relief continued health center outreach through the day in Redhook, Brooklyn and Staten Island today, some of the hardest hit areas affected by the storm. Outreach will continue tomorrow in these areas, now under threat from the Nor’easter winter storm approaching the already battered East Coast, causing concern for those who still do not have heat.

Two more deliveries are set to arrive in New York City tomorrow, World Cares Center will receive personal care items, nutritionals and supplies and the Community Health Network, which operates 12 sites in the city, will receive diabetic supplies, antibiotics, nutritionals, gloves, bandages, Neosporin, blood pressure cuffs, thermometers and masks.

The post Aid Arriving Daily at Health Centers Affected by Sandy appeared first on Direct Relief.

The team arrived to a steady flow of patients as the William F. Ryan – NENA Community Health Center, located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, opened for its first full day with power back on in a week. The Direct Relief crew  met first with health center staff to discuss how their clinic weathered the storm.

Soon after, the team was on hand to greet the first FedEx truck and help unload a two-part emergency shipment from Direct Relief of Abbott nutritional supplies as well as 350 personal care packs, filled with basic hygiene items provided by Johnson & Johnson, Neutrogena and Prestige Brands.

With the help of clinic staff, by late morning Direct Relief had distributed all of the items to clinic patients, many of whom reported they have not been able to make food at home or keep food properly refrigerated and thus were in critical need of ready-to-eat nutritional supplements such as the PediaSure and Pedialyte for children, and Ensure and ZonePerfect bars for adults.

Patients expressed gratitude for the personal care supplies as many evacuated their homes quickly due to flooding and power outages, leaving basic items behind.

After a second FedEx shipment arrived with similar supplies, the Direct Relief and Ryan-NENA team prepared for a second distribution set for 2 p.m. This time, word had spread throughout the tight-knit community of the health center patients, and the line wrapped around the block with people eagerly awaiting the much-needed supplies.

The line grew so long that before the start of the afternoon distribution, the clinic passed out numbers to those waiting in line and people were allowed into the lobby in increments of 15 to receive the supplies. Instructions to only take one personal care pack per family were given in three different languages over a megaphone to the crowd waiting outside.

Within an hour, all of the supplies were gone.  Many had to be turned away, so Direct Relief is sending additional shipments. Direct Relief estimates that around 500 people received products.

Ryan-NENA Executive Director, Kathy Gruber, said more items are likely needed as the patient population the health center serves is still in desperate need of basic items.

Direct Relief is working on the ground with partners on the East Coast  for the remainder of the week to assess needs and facilitate the delivery of much needed supplies.

A requested delivery of various medicines and supplies, including diabetic supplies, asthma medications, wound supplies, antibiotics, and insulin arrived today at Ann Silverman Community Clinic in Doylestown, Pa. and email offers of assistance have been sent to nine partners in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

More requested Direct Relief shipments are set to arrive tomorrow at three nonprofit community health centers in New York and New Jersey. The on-the-ground team will be on hand at Newark Community Health Centers in Newark, N.J. tomorrow to help distribute another FedEx shipment of requested nutritional supplies and personal care items.

The post Hurricane Sandy: New Yorkers in Need Receive Urgent Supplies appeared first on Direct Relief.

Last night, 50 cases of Abbott nutritional supplements such as Zone bars and Pediasure were sent to William F. Ryan Community Health Center, which operates a network of clinics in New York City, including one in Lower Manhattan.

“Our downtown center…has been in the dark with no electricity since Monday. This has placed tremendous stress and pressure on all the residents who live in high rise, low-income housing…food and water are becoming scarce due to lack of refrigeration and accessibility,” reported Lorraine Leong, director of external affairs at the Ryan Community Health Center.

In addition to the nutritional supplies—which will be provided for the clinic’s pediatric and elderly patients—a shipment of 360 personal care packs will also be sent to Ryan Community Health Center today.  The packs contain basic hygiene supplies such as lotion, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other toiletries.

Ms. Leong said all of their clinics are operating; however some are under limited hours because several medical staff are unable to get to Manhattan due to transportation limitations.

Direct Relief is also working on shipments for Zarephath Health Center in Sommerset, N.J., the Henry J. Austin Health Center in Trenton, J.J., and the Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic in Doylestwon, Pa.

“People came to the clinic yesterday. Diabetics cannot get insulin. Many are suffering from allergies, asthma and bronchitis. We are a densely populated area and can serve many hundreds of people,” wrote the medical director from Zarephath Health Center.

The center reported that most living in the area they serve are without power and internet. The lines to get gasoline wind around the corners—some 50 to 100 cars long. Many others are standing in long lines with portable gasoline containers, hoping to power their generators for another day. Those with wells cannot pump their water.

The other partner, Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic in Doylestwon, Pa. said, “Many here are still without power (myself included) and we have found some primary care practices unavailable to their patients. Our community hospitals have additionally been experiencing a spike in Emergency Department activity as many persons are presenting either because they can’t reach their primary care doctor or due to an increase in minor injuries as a result of the storm’s aftermath. Our clinic has extended assistance to community members with acute but minor medical conditions who cannot receive care from their Primary Care Physicians and who cannot afford the high deductibles or co-pays for emergency room visits.”

Direct Relief continues to reach out to health-center partners in 23 states and D.C. and has been in touch with emergency management agencies in New Jersey and New York.

To support Direct Relief’s emergency preparedness and response efforts, donate here.

The post Hurricane Sandy: Urgent Supplies Bound for East Coast Clinics in Need appeared first on Direct Relief.

Direct Relief is the only nonprofit licensed to distribute prescription medications in all 50 U.S. states. In the past year alone, Direct Relief has delivered 5,000 shipments to its network of more than 1,000 nonprofit clinics and health centers nationwide. The organization runs the largest nonprofit program in the U.S. providing free medications and supplies to health centers treating low-income patients without insurance.

Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, when Direct Relief was the single largest nonprofit provider of medical material aid in the affected Gulf States, the organization also has run an extensive hurricane preparedness program that pre-positions medical essentials with hospitals in the Caribbean and nonprofit clinics in hurricane-prone areas of the U.S.

“Direct Relief is acutely sensitive to the needs of those who are most vulnerable in emergency situations such as this, and we are working closely with partner nonprofit clinics and health centers in the affected areas that serve people who are vulnerable every day to understand what is needed and mobilize charitable resources to help address those needs,” said President and CEO, Thomas Tighe.

Among the immediate concerns in the aftermath of the storm and the mass evacuations it has caused is the risk of health crises arising among people who fled their residences without medications to manage their chronic health conditions.

While the massive property and economic losses are enormous and remain to be assessed, Direct Relief will focus its efforts on immediate and near-term support for the health facilities that serve people who rely on the nonprofit health safety net for essential primary care services.

Several corporate contributors to Direct Relief’s USA activities, including Abbott, BD, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Teva, stepped forward in the past several days to offer their support with specific medical, nutritional, and personal care items that may be needed by people and communities affected by the storm.

Additionally, longtime supporter, FedEx, has generously offered to provide in-kind transportation services to help send medical supplies to treat those affected by the storm. Direct Relief also benefitted from extensive operational support during the crisis from Palo Alto-based technology company, Palantir, that has enabled multiple streams of information to be organized, visualized, and analyzed to provide situational assessments and inform planning and response.

“The initial $250,000 commitment is being made because we understand that financial pressures hit nonprofit clinics and health centers and their patients particularly hard – they both typically have very little if any financial cushion to fall back on,” said Tighe. “If we receive additional support for Hurricane Sandy, the funds will be spent exclusively for this purpose.”

The post Direct Relief Commits $250,000 for Hurricane Sandy Relief and Recovery Efforts appeared first on Direct Relief.

Expanding HIV testing for pregnant women is an essential component in helping to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, a key focus in the global effort to combat HIV/AIDS.

To facilitate access to HIV testing for PMTCT, Abbott and the Abbott Fund made a commitment in 2002 to donate 20 million rapid HIV tests to programs in Africa and the world’s Least Developed Countries. To date, more than 150 partner organizations have participated in the program, serving more than 8,000 health facilities. HIV-positive mothers identified through the program can receive free and convenient therapy to help prevent their child from being infected with HIV. As a result, a minimum of 150,000 new cases of HIV have been averted in infants over the past ten years.*

“Helping pregnant mothers to know their HIV status is a critical step in advancing access to treatment and preventing the transmission of HIV to children,” said Katherine Pickus, divisional vice president of Global Citizenship & Policy, Abbott, and vice president, the Abbott Fund. “By donating 20 million rapid HIV tests, we have helped thousands of children to be born without HIV. We are grateful to Direct Relief and the local-country implementing partners for their work in helping us to reach so many mothers and families across the developing world.”

“People who are poor or living in rural areas should have equal access to the benefits of HIV prevention and treatment as those who have the financial means or live in urban areas.  Direct Relief is committed to increasing access to HIV testing, prevention, care, and treatment for people across the world,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief.

Every day, approximately 1,000 children worldwide acquire HIV—over 90 percent are infected through mother-to-child transmission. Rapid HIV tests allow any program in a remote setting to share test results in 15 minutes, regardless of access to lab equipment or electricity. By ensuring pregnant women know their HIV status and enrolling those that are HIV positive in appropriate care and treatment, the HIV transmission rate from mother to child can be reduced to less than 5 percent, according to UNAIDS.

Direct Relief, Abbott and the Abbott Fund will continue to work with existing key implementing organizations in 2012 to provide free rapid HIV testing to pregnant women, as well as spouses and children of pregnant women who are found to be HIV positive.

Globally, there were approximately 1.4 million pregnant women living with HIV in low- and middle- income countries in 2010, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  The 22 highest affected countries account for 90 percent of the new HIV infections in children. However, progress is being made.  In 2005, only 15 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries received anti-retroviral therapies for PMTCT; in 2010, that number rose to 48 percent of women in need who received anti-retroviral therapies for PMTCT (WHO).

The post HIV Testing Milestone: 20 Million Tests Provided appeared first on Direct Relief.

Santa Barbara, CA (March 8, 2012): Direct Relief USA, the country’s only non-profit provider of free medicines to clinics and health centers in all 50 states, today announced that Abbott, Johnson & Johnson Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc., and Novartis Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc. have joined a new model of charitable donations of medications for people without health insurance.

Nonprofit Direct Relief USA, which provides medical donations to a network of more than 1,000 nonprofit community clinics and health centers nationwide, announced that the three organizations are participating in a five-state pilot program to donate medicines on a replenishment basis to uninsured, low-income patients. This model is based on a successful pilot conducted in recent years with Abbott.

The expanded pilot initiative announced today will provide needed medications to patients at ten nonprofit clinics and health centers that collectively serve 268,476 patients in medically underserved areas. Nationwide, it is estimated that more than 20 million patients receive primary health care services at community-based nonprofit facilities, which include Federally Qualified Health Centers and free clinics.
“This replenishment model brings new efficiencies to charitable efforts to help patients at clinics and health centers get the medications they need on an ongoing basis,” said Damon Taugher, Director of Direct Relief USA.

“We are pleased that nonprofit safety-net clinics, their uninsured patients, and companies’ charitable resources can each leverage Direct Relief’s unique status as the only nonprofit licensed to distribute medications in all 50 states, the robust information and distribution systems, and extensive network that we have built for this purpose,” said Taugher.

Direct Relief USA provided more than $54 million (valued at wholesale acquisition cost) worth of medicine to its network of clinics and health centers in 2011. Direct Relief was awarded the 2011 Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation for its aggressive adaptation of commercial technology for humanitarian purposes.

Direct Relief’s program focuses on high concentrations of uninsured patients in America’s nonprofit safety net clinics and health centers and complements existing traditional patient assistance programs (PAPs) through which individual companies provide free or discounted prescription medicine to low-income, uninsured patients.
The benefits of the new approach of the Replenishment Program increases efficiencies through a scalable platform, through which multiple companies participate in a program designed to enhance patient care through a streamlined process. The program aims to:

• Improve the way patients receive medications at clinics and health centers;
• Streamline the clinics’ administrative processes spent on PAP enrollment and dispensing;
• Maximize efficiencies in providing donated medicines to patients;
• Provide a scalable platform for a national program accessible to additional pharmaceutical companies and recipient clinics.

For participating nonprofit clinics and health centers, which must demonstrate rigorous internal controls for drug dispensing and recordkeeping, the program provides a single point of access to multiple pharmaceutical companies’ drugs. This eliminates the need to manage numerous programs and submit duplicative applications for individual medications, which enables redirection of scarce clinical resources from administrative tasks for improved patient care.

Abbott, Johnson & Johnson Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc., and Novartis Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc. will provide prescription drugs that will assist healthcare providers in the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hypothyroidism, neurological disease, mental health disease, HIV/AIDS, infection and other conditions. Recipient clinics will be better equipped to care for their patients by offering them much-needed continuity of care.

“Direct Relief’s Replenishment Program streamlines our ability to provide high-quality care to the patients we serve,” said Sharon Ng, Pharmacy Director of Venice Family Clinic in Venice, California. “With a significant reduction in paperwork and with fewer packages to receive, unpack and update into our inventory, we are able to spend more time with our patients and less time on the administrative component of traditional patient assistance programs. The timesavings provided to us through the Replenishment Program helps keep costs low and patient care the main focus.”

The Replenishment Program will support ten clinics in California, Washington, Texas, Michigan, and Florida.

About Direct Relief International

Direct Relief is California’s largest medical relief organization, active in all 50 states and over 70 countries. It works with more than 1,000 health clinics across the U.S. to assist in emergencies and an ongoing basis, providing them with free medications for people in need. The organization has been among the world’s largest medical suppliers in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, has top charity ratings, including four-star and “top-notch” rating from Charity Navigator, and a 100% fundraising efficiency rating from Forbes magazine. For more information, please visit www.DirectRelief.org.

The post Pharmaceutical Donations Support People without Health Insurance appeared first on Direct Relief.

The urgent consignment will provide 1,000 bottles of Pedialyte oral rehydration solution for children and 300 cans of Ensure nutritional product to help sustain people who are malnourished and displaced from their homes. Flooding in Pakistan has destroyed food supplies and increased the threat of waterborne diseases, including those that cause diarrhea. Such conditions can lead to dehydration, which can quickly become fatal in children.

A signature supporter of Direct Relief’s emergency response efforts (in additional to other programs), Abbott responded generously to needs during floods in Pakistan last year as well. Abbott has consistently collaborated in innovative ways with Direct Relief to deliver urgently needed aid.

The post Abbott Donates Aid for Flood Affected in Pakistan appeared first on Direct Relief.

ARC has been staging basic health units in the affected areas to treat people experiencing health issues, which are increasing as the displaced are exposed to contaminated, standing water and living in temporary camps.

Millions of people have been displaced by record flooding in Pakistan since late July. Direct Relief has been coordinating with partners in country and corporate supporters to provide aid to help flood survivors get the medical care they need through our partners in Pakistan. Abbott has been a strong supporter of this effort, providing critically needed aid to ARC and Marie Stopes Society Pakistan, which is treating patients in 35 affected districts of Pakistan.

The post Abbott Expands In-Country Donations to Support Pakistan Response appeared first on Direct Relief.

With an estimated 20 million people in Pakistan affected by record flooding, waterborne diseases among the displaced are a significant health concern. Direct Relief’s in-country partners are confirming cases of cholera, with malaria also posing a “real threat” in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where standing and contaminated water is widespread.

American Refugee Committee (ARC), which has been deploying mobile medical teams to treat the displaced since the start of the flooding, reports that it has seen confirmed cases of cholera, with skin, eye, and respiratory infections on the rise. Direct Relief is sending an emergency module of medical supplies from the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies to support ARC’s relief efforts.

Dr. Haamid Jaffer, director of Murshid Hospital and Healthcare Centers in Balochistan, says the hospital is working to support the needs of a refugee camp that is home to 100,000 people and is located a few miles from the hospital. The Murshid Hospital is focusing particularly on maternal and child health needs and admitting severe cases to the hospital.

Direct Relief is sourcing appropriate aid for partners in Pakistan, including drawing on its standing inventory to meet medical needs of the affected. Abbott Labs has donated critically needed oral rehydration solutions and medicines from its in-country facilities to expedite delivery. Bristol-Myers Squibb has released $19,000 in emergency relief funds in support of the emergency response as well.

The post Direct Relief Airlifting $335,000 in Medical Aid to Pakistan appeared first on Direct Relief.

American Refugee Committee and Marie Stopes Society in Pakistan will be receiving the medical aid. These longtime partners of Direct Relief are working to treat people with waterborne illnesses and other conditions at emergency medical camps in the affected areas.

“Our teams are quickly running out of medicines and the public health issues are just beginning,” reported Jill McGrath Jones, program director at ARC Pakistan. “We have seven basic health units running in Swat as well as one or two medical camps (depending on coordination). In Balochistan, we operate seven basic health units in three Afghan refugee camps, and since the flooding are sending mobile health teams to Sibi, Nasserabad, and Jaffarabad toward the south; the need is great there.

“Skin and eye infections are rising as people are wading in and using contaminated water and mud,” she continued. “Acute diarrhea is rising daily. In Balochistan the teams are seeing about five cases of malaria per day now in one basic health unit. With stagnant water everywhere, this is expected to rise. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa there have been ongoing fears of cholera and suspected cases, and there is a confirmed case this weekend.”

Quetta Hospital in Balochistan province is also identifying needed medical supplies to treat an influx of patients streaming into the capital city because of flooding. The medical team affiliated with St. Luke’s Church in Abbottabad has treated more than 1,800 patients.

With an estimated 20 million people affected by flooding, waterborne diseases are a serious health threat. Direct Relief’s response team is working closely with partners to deliver the aid they request to assist people in Pakistan during this large-scale emergency.

Listen to a radio interview with Brett Williams, Director of Emergency Response

The post Direct Relief Expediting In-Country Medical Aid Delivery for Pakistan appeared first on Direct Relief.

Through the generous support of global health care company Abbott, Rio Beni Health Project, Direct Relief’s local partner, has been able to distribute antibiotics valued at more than $56,000 to aid in the emergency response.  Abbott’s support will help provide treatment for 3,000 cases of Coqueluchoide Syndrome. The incidence of this bacterial infection increases especially when hot, sunny days follow days of heavy rain, which is characteristic of areas along the Beni River in the upper Amazon region.  For many Bolivians in the Beni region without access to medicines, donations like Abbott’s make the difference of whether they’ll get the treatment they need.

Abbott has been a valued partner of Direct Relief since 1996. Together, we have provided ongoing and emergency assistance to important Direct Relief partners around the world. In Bolivia, we support Centro Medico Vivir Con Diabetes, an organization that provides diabetes prevention, screening, and care.  In Afghanistan, we have supported the Afghan Institute of Learning that provides health and education services for women and children.  In Cambodia, our joint effort has provided critical, comprehensive nutritional support at the Angkor Hospital for Children.  In addition to providing product donations that build healthcare providers’ capacity to address specific needs, Abbott is also helping Direct Relief and its partners build human capacity through healthcare provider training and public health education.

The post Abbott Responds to Bolivia’s Urgent Need for Antibiotics appeared first on Direct Relief.

The cash commitment, enabled in part by donations from over 7,500 individual contributors who contributed via Google Checkout, will be used to furnish essential medical material to health facilities in Myanmar and partner organizations providing health services to people affected by the cyclone that struck last week.

The intial infusion of medical resources includes supplies to provide 21,300 courses of treatment for patients with bacterial and upper respiratory infections, dehydration, diarrhea, cholera and other water-borne diseases, as well as basic instruments and materials for wound care and other trauma needs.  The materials were specifically requested by in-country facilities run by a colleague nonprofit organization, which obtained clearance to receive and distribute the materials.

Direct Relief is working with international organizations with Myanmar-based health programs and regional organizations with community-based programs inside Myanmar.

“Because of our experiences responding to other emergencies involving surges of water in the region – particularly the 2004 Asian tsunami and Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh last year we know what types of needs arise, and consequently keep the supplies to fulfill those needs on hand,” said Direct Relief’s Emergency Response Coordinator Brett Williams.

In addition to the thousands of individual contributions, Direct Relief has received substantial support from healthcare companies. The initial aid sent today containes medicines and other materials donated by long-time Direct Relief supporters, including Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cera Products Inc., the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, MedVantx, Midmark, Sappo Hill Soapworks, and Sunnight Solar. Henry Schein Inc. also has responded generously with donations of essential medical items for this emergency.

The post Direct Relief Commits $500,000 In Cash To Relief Effort appeared first on Direct Relief.

Haiti’s northern departments are the country’s poorest and most vulnerable, where about 75 percent of people live on less than $2 a day. The northern departments are dependent on commodities from the capital, Port-au-Prince, and are linked by one low-lying road on the coast that passes through Gonaives. It repeatedly bears the brunt of hurricane damage.

In St. Louis du Nord, we visited North West Haiti Christian Mission’s Birthing Center, which averages about 85 births a month. The clinic receives nutritional products from Abbott, which are critical for these mothers and babies.

At the clinic we met Rose Cardene. Rose had recently given birth to a beautiful baby boy, Stanley, days before we arrived. Stanley was premature, born weighing less than 3 pounds.

Premature birth is increasingly common in northern Haiti, where a food crisis lead to violent protests last spring and hurricane damage to crops caused the price of food to skyrocket. This left adequate nutrition out of reach for many pregnant women, placing additional stress on their already stressed bodies. Donated nutritional products become a lifeline for these women and their babies to be.

Adding insult to injury, aid delivery was severely hampered following last year’s four consecutive storms in as many weeks that killed more than 800 people, causing massive flooding and damage in their wake. With roads and bridges completely washed out, people in the north were forced to fend for themselves.

Now, in late March, a full month before the start of the rainy season, daily rains are making people in the north very nervous; memories of last year’s storms are all too vivid. It’s hard to image life in rural Haiti getting harder than it already is, but all you need to do is add water.

We are here planning our Hurricane Module distribution for the 2009 season, which will include Haiti. Clearly the need here is great.

Last year, hurricane modules were prepositioned in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in the U.S., and in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. The modules contain essential antibiotics; nutritional products for children and adults; oral rehydration solutions; and supplies for wound-care and water purification, all selected to help local healthcare providers meet the surge of additional patients while also caring for existing patients.

Having these modules in place before hurricane season starts will help protect vulnerable populations like pregnant women and their babies should a hurricane strike. Nutritional products give premature babies a chance at survival, despite challenging circumstances.

Direct Relief provided more than $2.3 million (wholesale) in aid to Haiti following last year’s hurricanes. The organization is committed to providing essential medicines and nutritional supplies as long as needed following an emergency—because pregnancy doesn’t stop for hurricanes.

The post Babies Don’t Stop for Hurricanes appeared first on Direct Relief.

Perez surveyed Direct Relief’s operations, met with the team handling the emergency response, and authorized on behalf of the Peruvian government immediate clearance of Direct Relief’s humanitarian aid.

CEO Thomas Tighe extended his deepest sympathies to Perez for the tragic loss of life caused by the earthquake and pledged Direct Relief’s full and ongoing support to help care for victims in response to the tragedy.

Dr. Kuon, whose organization conducts extensive humanitarian health efforts in Peru, is providing invaluable information from the network of Peruvian health officials and is supporting in-country logistics to ensure essential material is reaching responders immediately.

As the health needs of victims continue to be identified, Direct Relief is making arrangements to airlift additional medical and personal care supplies.  FedEx, which provided at no charge the initial airlift yesterday, has offered its continued logistics and transport support to Direct Relief’s response.

Program Officer Dan Smith, whose wife and daughter are in Peru, is coordinating Direct Relief’s response.  Smith has worked closely with the office of the Archdiocese of Lima for over five years on various humanitarian health projects and is in close communication with the Peruvian national civil defense coordinating agency, PAMS, and other Peruvian organizations involved in the relief effort.

Direct Relief’s first emergency airlift, completed less than 20 hours after the quake, included medical and first aid items specifically requested by Peruvian authorities.

Yesterday, Direct Relief committed $100,000 of its own resources to the quake relief effort, regardless of whether any contributions are received.  Any additional funds that are received for the quake will be restricted for use only in response to the Peru earthquake.

In light of the significant attention to this emergency, we wish to clarify that any funds received for the Peru quake will be used exclusively for this purpose without any expense charged to administration or fundraising.  Direct Relief pays all such overhead expenses with its own funds, thanks to a generous bequest received last year.

Direct Relief would sincerely like to thank the following corporate donors for making their materials available for the relief effort:

• Abbott
• BD
• Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
• Carlsbad Technology, Inc.
• Johnson & Johnson
• Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies
• Marlex Pharmaceuticals
• Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.
• McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals
• Midmark Corporation
• Miltex, Inc.
• Mylan Laboratories, Inc.
• OHM Laboratories, Inc.
• Sage Products, Inc.
• sanofi-aventis
• Schering-Plough Corporation
• Watson Pharmaceuticals
• Wisconsin Pharmacal Company LLC

Direct Relief is closely monitoring the situation and is in constant communication with its in-country partner network.  As the relief effort evolves, additional shipments will be air freighted as required.

The post Peruvian Government Expedites Direct Relief Humanitarian Assistance appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipment was sent to one of our long-standing partners in Peru, the Archdiocese of Lima. A partner with Direct Relief for eight years, the Archdiocese operates two clinics located within the poorest sections of Lima, Peru’s sprawling capital city, and one located outside the city.

The donation consisted of specifically requested items, primarily antibiotics, to be delivered to the Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civil (INDECI), the primary coordinating agency for the government’s relief effort. The Archdiocese’s office is working to coordinate relief efforts with INDECI.

Other items in the shipment included first aid materials (gauze, first aid tape, bandages, etc.), antibiotic creams, analgesics, IV solutions and accessories, and oral rehydration salts.

Direct Relief would sincerely like to thank the following corporate donors for making their materials available for the relief effort:

• Abbott
• BD
• Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
• Carlsbad Technology, Inc.
• Johnson & Johnson
• Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies
• Marlex Pharmaceuticals
• Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.
• McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals
• Midmark Corporation
• Miltex, Inc.
• Mylan Laboratories, Inc.
• OHM Laboratories, Inc.
• Sage Products, Inc.
• sanofi-aventis
• Schering-Plough Corporation
• Watson Pharmaceuticals
• Wisconsin Pharmacal Company LLC

Direct Relief is closely monitoring the situation and is in constant communication with its in-country partner network.  As the relief effort evolves, additional shipments will be air freighted as required.

The post Direct Relief Sending Resources to Aid Victims of Peru Earthquake appeared first on Direct Relief.

Responding to this humanitarian health crisis, the Abbott Fund, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), and Direct Relief have joined forces to ensure the survival and improve the health status of women, infants, and children. This partnership has lead to significant medical material aid to AIL, located in Kabul, Afghanistan, with the combined total support from Direct Relief and Abbott eclipsing $4.2 million (wholesale).

Afghanistan’s health crisis can be linked to a lack of infrastructure, a shortage of medical professionals, and limited access to those professionals. A 2002 study by the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health estimates that 60 percent of the population lacks access to any form of healthcare, and only an estimated two percent of women give birth with a trained health professional present.

Staffed and run by Afghan women, AIL operates health centers and mobile clinics that focus on maternal and child health, providing hundreds of thousands of people in remote villages with their only source of medical care. Ms. Sakena Yacoobi, Executive Director of AIL, has been a long-time champion for the health and education of women and children in Afghanistan and was among the 1,000 women nominated to receive the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

Recognizing the unprecedented challenges faced by AIL, the Abbott Fund supported three of AIL’s clinics, including sponsoring the education of 19 women to be nurses, midwives, and health educators. In 2006, AIL graduated their fi rst Abbott-sponsored class. In 2007, the enrollment of students increased to 45, with approximately 100 women on the waiting list for the next class.

AIL’s community based approach, which includes delivering services while training additional nurses and midwives, is essential to reduce the tragic and preventable loss of life among women and children. AIL’s work, enhanced significantly by the Abbott Fund’s investment as well as Direct Relief’s ongoing support, is a bright source of hope for the future.

The post Abbott Backs Program to Address Critical Maternal and Child Health Concerns appeared first on Direct Relief.

The cost of the fish, meat, and vegetables, purchased daily at the market, is currently covered through a Direct Relief-supported nutrition education and support program. This facility-designed, comprehensive nutrition program is being funded by Abbott, one of our most active and generous corporate partners.

Under the ruling of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, health facilities were destroyed and most of Cambodia’s medical professionals were killed or escaped (in 1979, at the end of the regime, all but 40 of Cambodia’s doctors had either perished or fled the country). Today, after decades of conflict, Cambodia is struggling to rebuild the infrastructure of its health system as well as that of its work force.

During a series of photographic trips to Cambodia’s Angkor monuments, international acclaimed photographer Kenro Izu had numerous encounters with children disfigured by landmines and in desperate need of medical care. He decided to dedicate himself to establishing a pediatric hospital in the region, and as a result of his efforts and determination, the Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) was founded in 1999. Located in Siem Reap, the city closest to Angkor Wat, the facility was established to provide both quality health care for the children of Siem Reap and neighboring provinces, and to provide training for healthcare providers countrywide.

AHC provides outpatient (average of 300 to 500 patients per day) and inpatient services, basic surgery, 24-hour emergency service, and dental care. The hospital’s acute care unit includes three emergency room beds and three intensive care beds. Each month the hospital serves 600 to 700 emergency patients and 25 to 35 intensive care patients, with the majority of cases involving acute respiratory distress/failure or trauma. Other common illnesses seen at the facility include dengue fever, dysentery, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and intestinal parasites. Malnutrition and dehydration is clinically evident in 66 percent of children admitted to the hospital, and 10 percent of admissions are due primarily to severe malnutrition.

Due to the extreme shortage of trained medical professionals in the country, AHC was initially staffed by an international team of healthcare providers and administrators. The facility immediately began to provide intensive training to Cambodian doctors, nurses, dentists, and other hospital personnel, and has since handed over most of the medical, nursing, management, and other positions to an extremely motivated and enthusiastic local staff. In 2003, AHC was recognized by the World Health organization as the only pediatric medical training facility in Northern Cambodia. The hospital also participates as a training site for the Ministry of Health (MoH), WHO-led Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI), playing a key role in improving the quality of pediatric care for the entire country.

Direct Relief has supported AHC with shipments of medical and nutritional products since 2003. The Family Nutrition Education and Support Program had just been launched on September 1, 2006, and I was visiting the facility with Thomas Tighe, CEO and President of Direct Relief, and Reeta Roy, Vice President of Abbott Citizenship and Policy. While visiting, we observed nutrition trainings, cooking classes, the care and utilization of demonstration gardens, and the distribution and use of donated nutritional products – all essential components of the program.

We watched as the family members of malnourished children learned about the importance of serving balanced meals containing a source of protein such as fish, meat, eggs, or beans, as well as fruits and vegetables that can be easily grown or inexpensively purchased. Nutrition education staff members discussed the health effects of the different foods, and demonstrated the best manner to prepare them in order to preserve essential vitamins and minerals. One-on-one bedside nutritional counseling is also provided for parents of severely malnourished children, and provides specific advice and guidance on how to care for the acute and on-going needs of their particular child.

We also accompanied the outreach team on one of their home visits to check on a two-year old boy who had recently been admitted to the hospital with severe malnutrition and dehydration. The team was expected by the boy’s family and other community members had been encouraged to meet at their home. Over 50 adults and children were waiting for us when we arrived, and the outreach team took advantage of the gathering to provide nutrition and hygiene education, as well as to distribute Direct Relief-donated albendazole, or de-worming tablets, to the children. Eliminating, or reducing the worm load in children can significantly improve their nutritional status and overall health. Boys and girls, ages one year and up, now receive the medication twice yearly – an easy and very effective intervention.

Over the past four years, seven shipments of Direct Relief-donated medical goods have been provided to AHC. The most recent shipment consisted of an ocean freight container of Abbott-donated nutritional and medical products. The new partnership between Direct Relief and Abbott, to provide critically needed products and fund the facility’s expanded nutrition program, will allow the hospital to more effectively address the high incidence of pediatric malnutrition, and improve the health of thousands of Cambodian children and their families.

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The five tons of medical material, valued at $231,000 (wholesale), will be flown to Indonesia on Tuesday, May 30, for use by Indonesian-based partner organizations and colleague U.S. nongovernmental organizations with medical teams in the region.

The aid shipments contain a disaster module furnished by Johnson & Johnson and other materials including: surgical instruments, sutures, wound dressings, casting material, disinfective agents, antibiotics, oral rehydration solution.

Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s largest civic organization is among the partner organizations that will receive approximately one-half of the medical material aid, for use in its hospital in Bantul and its eight field clinics being established in Bantul and Klaten (Central Java).

The National Chairman of Muhammadiyah, Dr. H. Sudibyo Markus, today reported that the main facility in Bantul is functioning and providing services, but it is stretched beyond capacity. Two of the delivery rooms have been converted to operating theaters, and orthopedic surgeons have been deployed from the Indonesian government and other Muhammadiyah hospitals to assist with the surge of trauma cases. Post-operative patients are being evacuated to Muhammadiyah schools, although some patients remain in hospital corridors and outside under verandas.

In addition, Direct Relief is furnishing material assistance and cash assistance to partner organization Pusat Kajian dan Perlindungan Anak (PKPA). PKPA is an Indonesian organization focused on children’s rights and health, and Direct Relief is financing three of its health programs in Aceh and Medan in Sumatra as part of the tsunami recovery effort.

PKPA’s executive director, Mr. Ahmad Sofian, is in Yogyakarta conducting a rapid health assessment. Cash support approved today will enable PKPA to send 10 physicians to Yogyakarta to provide medical support, nutrition, and address other urgent needs for affected infants and children.

Persatuan Perawat Nasional (PPNI), another Indonesian partner organization with which Direct Relief has teamed to finance five health clinics in the areas hardest hit by the tsunami, is deploying a team of 20 nurses to Yogyakarta to care for earthquake victims.

Direct Relief has approved $25,000 for this effort, with the funds being managed by CHF International, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization with which Direct Relief has partnered on a large health infrastructure building program in tsunami-affected areas. CHF will also receive and distribute one of the emergency medical shipments through its staff members in Yogyakarta.

Corporate Support:

Direct Relief’s Indonesia material support effort is made possible by contributions from 22 companies:

• Abbott
• Aearo Company
• Alcon Laboratories, Inc.
• Amsino International
• Anda, Inc.
• BD
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
• BSN Medical, Inc. – Orthopaedics GBU
• Child Health Foundation
• Ethicon, Inc.
• Fisher Scientific Co.
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Hospira, Inc.
• Invacare Supply Group
• Johnson & Johnson
• Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies
• Kawasumi Laboratories America, Inc.
• McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharms.
• Microflex
• Miltex Instrument Company
• Vitamin Angel Alliance
• Waldwick Plastics

The post Direct Relief Mobilizes Medical and Financial Assistance for Java Earthquake appeared first on Direct Relief.

“This is an initial cash commitment from our existing resources to respond to the severe medical needs of the people who have been injured and displaced,” said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe.

“We are committing these funds regardless of how much money we may receive,” said Tighe. “If we receive more, we will increase our commitment.”

Direct Relief has been coordinating with colleague U.S.-based international groups with staff members in Indonesia, with partner companies, and with the National Chairman of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s largest civic organization whose hospital in the quake affected area is already overwhelmed with victims.

Direct Relief has received detailed needs lists from four organizations and is preparing a series of emergency medical air shipments based on these specific requests.

Corporate partner companies Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnson have authorized Direct Relief to allocate to the Java quake relief effort products they have previously donated and are in the organization’s inventory.

The initial cash commitment will be used to provide emergency cash assistance to Muhammadiyah and potentially to other organizations providing emergency urgent medical and support services to the quake victims and for transport of requested medical material.

Direct Relief emergency coordinator, Brett Williams, an emergency medical technician (EMT), is traveling to Java to expedite material aid plans and logistics to the affected region. He will be working with U.S. physicians associated with Australian Aid International, coordinating with Dr. Markus and Muhammadiyah staff members, and other groups providing assistance.

In response to a series of natural disasters and health emergencies over the past year and a half, beginning with the tsunami that struck South Asia in December 2004, Direct Relief has been called upon to provide emergency medical aid to degree unprecedented in its 58-year history.

“We are deeply saddened by the extensive loss of life and we will stretch to provide whatever resources we can to assist the people who have survived this tragedy,” said Tighe.

Over the past 19 months, Direct Relief has furnished over $13.8 million in medical aid and cash assistance to tsunami-affected areas in Indonesia.

The post $100,000 in Cash & $500,000 in Medical Material Aid Committed to Indonesia Quake Relief Effort appeared first on Direct Relief.