In the days following the collapse, Oxnard Fire Chief Alexander Hamilton was deployed to the scene to provide mental health support to first responders working to find victims.

With funding from Direct Relief that the Miami Heat raised, Hamilton and a team of clinicians, first responders, and peer support officials organized group and one-on-one support sessions for search and rescue workers.

In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Hamilton about the search and rescue effort and its effect on those involved.

Transcript

AMARICA RAFANELLI: Can you describe what it was like when you first touched down and arrived on the scene there in Florida?

ALEXANDER HAMILTON: We arrived on a Monday. If you recall, they had that section of the building that was still standing, so they had just demolished that section of the building Sunday night. Because of the instability of that part of the building, there were a bunch of bedrooms that they couldn’t search, so as soon as they had collapsed that other section, they immediately were able to search in an area they had previously not had access to. There was actually a ton of activity going on when we first arrived.

Crews worked for an hour on and an hour off, so the first crew I interacted with had just come off the pile after recovering a family of four, so some pretty tough situations for the search and rescue teams.

RAFANELLI: Can you describe the services that you were providing? Were they group sessions, were these one-on-one counseling sessions?

HAMILTON: The situation was really unique for me in my experience because the vast majority of the time, when I’m providing mental health support to first responders, it’s after an incident has terminated. It’s after the fact that we go in there, and we help folks start processing their experiences. In this case, though, they were still very much in the middle of the incident. Certainly, there was a lot of work that could be done to bring closure to the families. It was a bit of an unusual response for us because they really can’t start processing their experiences because they’ve got to go back and keep working.

It was as much as anything, ensuring they knew that there was support. There were times where were people that would come off that were feeling overwhelmed and so we would go and have a little one-on-one session, but more often than not, it was groups of five or six and, and sort of relatively brief conversations, some of which you’d get into some of their experience, but a lot of times it was a chance for them to check out. They wanted to know how we load hose on our fire engine to California, for example, versus the way they do it. So we had these small talk conversations. Some of it, too, was understanding some of their needs. Florida is incredibly hot. It’s incredibly humid. So having good quality wool socks was something that they needed. So it was sort of these little compact things that we were able to pick up on and do something about. Neck gators, wound tactical socks.

It was day 12 or 13, I think, after the collapse when we got there, so these crews hadn’t been near their families in that time. So one of their requests was better wireless coverage so they can FaceTime with family members and just sort of have that check-in.

So there were little things that we were able to provide while also being there to give them support if they needed that support.

RAFANELLI: I can only imagine how physically and emotionally demanding this response was, trying to find victims of the collapse. Did any of the responders share their thoughts on that experience or how it affected them?

HAMILTON: Yeah, there were little pieces of stories that would come out. Obviously, decomposition is happening quite rapidly in those conditions, so the state of the bodies, if they hadn’t been impacted by the collapse itself, were relatively intact.

I think that was one of the hardest things. You could smell it when you were out there. It was really strong. So that was pretty impactful for a lot of them. You know, doing their very best to obviously bring closure to these families and also respecting these victims as they’re recovering.

One guy said it best to me, one of the crew members that recovered that family of four said, ‘I prefer to save people,’ you know, not do this. He’s like, I know we need to do this, but I don’t like it. That was sort of the sentiment. They knew it needed to be done but that it was really difficult circumstances.

RAFANELLI: So you’ve said that in the initial phases of this response, most of their needs were wanting to speak with their family, some practical needs, like wool socks. Do you anticipate that the recovery for these first responders is going to be more long-term?

HAMILTON: Without a doubt. When we first got there was a lot of behavioral health support at the site, particularly during the day: clinicians, chaplains, people with therapy, dogs, and that kind of thing. Not a lot of them had cultural competency in dealing with search and rescue teams or dealing with, with firefighters. So, within a day or two of us being, at the site and on the ground–we were all wearing these yellow lanyards to identify ourselves very clearly–people started gravitating towards those yellow lanyards.

We quickly developed that trust to some level. So yeah, I absolutely anticipate that there’s going to be some long-term issues for all of those respondents to work through.

That was one of the things that we were starting to work on is a plan for when everyone’s going home and how they were going to manage that behavioral health component.

RAFANELLI: So, as a fire chief, you’ve been involved in addressing the mental health needs of first responders for a while now. What got you into the work, and why did you identify mental health as a need among your colleagues?

That question comes up a lot. With my colleagues, everyone has a different story, whether it was an issue that they face personally or some adversity that people were able to work through. Ultimately for me, it was a call–that’ll actually be 10 years ago this Thanksgiving–that I went on, and it was a little boy that had catastrophic injuries after being hit by a car, similar age to my own child at the time.

It was really difficult seeing and we were there for a long time. Ultimately my response initially to that was, was pretty myopic. I just sort of took care of myself. I was an engineer, so I was a driver on the engine, but about eight months after that, the firefighter that was with me on that call, he came to me, and he says, ‘I’m just not coping with life.’

That was kind of my moment. I dealt with my issues, and I’d gotten some help. I could still tell you everything about that call to this day. But at the same time, when he came to me and said, he’s not coping with life, we didn’t have anything in place. We had a big distrust of our employee assistance program, which is common, unfortunately. All we had was to call the number on the back of the health care card for mental health support. And if you’ve ever tried to do that, it’s not a good way to get mental health support because the insurance company will give you a list of like 12,000 providers in your area, the vast majority of whom are not taking new clients and then there’s people that just don’t call you back. It’s a really clunky way to get behavioral health support. So, that was the point where I realized that we needed to do things a lot differently and a lot better.

That sort of took me down this road into peer support. And then, obviously, suicide was just starting to become an issue in the fire service. Unfortunately, it’s grown exponentially since we got involved. So, we started doing suicide intervention classes, suicide awareness classes.

Now, we’re just starting on teaching a resiliency class to try and sort of build those coping skills early so that hopefully we don’t end up in a bad place.

RAFANELLI: In your opinion, has climate change and the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, like wildfires, increased the need for mental health support among first responders?

HAMILTON: Yeah, climate change is one part of it, but our profession has changed pretty dramatically as well in the last 10 or 15 years. We’re doing a better job with behavioral health services, but the job has become infinitely more demanding. Our members are exposed to a lot more violent incidents. They are exposed to longer hours and these more grueling campaign fires that go on for weeks at a time. So it is absolutely having an impact.

Through COVID–last season was a particularly bad fire season–I think agencies all across California and likely across the rest of the country were short-staffed because we either had to pair back on training new firefighters or for a host of different reasons. So, there have been people working incredibly long hours. Last September, when the fires were at their worst, some of my firefighters did 25 days at the fire station in a month, and that’s a 24-hour shift. Because of COVID, they couldn’t have their families coming to visit stations. We had to be really careful about that, keeping our workforce healthy. So, really demanding and our firefighters, they will do it. They’ll occasionally complain, but for the most part, they understand this is the job, and this is the mission. But also, it needs to be acknowledged that it’s an incredibly heavy burden that they have to take on and that we need to be able to try and support them.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

The post Mental Health Support Goes to First Responders of Surfside Condo Collapse appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained more than 1.3 million defined daily doses of medication, including insulin, antibiotics, and other essential medications, as well as medical essentials for Covid-19 response, including personal protective equipment, or PPE, and powered air purifying respirators, or PAPRs.

In the U.S., Direct Relief delivered 379 shipments weighing 24,385 pounds and containing 523,891 doses of medications.

The largest U.S. shipments by value (wholesale) went to the following organizations:

• Agape Clinic – Dallas, Texas  ($390.9K)
• The Never Alone Project – Indianapolis, Indiana ($193.1K)
• San Jose Clinic – Houston, Texas ($76.4K)
• Interfaith Community Clinic – Oak Ridge North, Texas ($64.8K)
• Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department – Florence, Kentucky ($60.3K)
• Pancare of Florida – Malone, Florida ($55.9K)
• St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy – Cincinnati, Ohio ($52.6K)
• The Chris Atwood Foundation – Reston, Virginia ($48K)
• Ventura County Medical Center – Ventura, California ($44.9K)

Globally, Direct Relief shipped more than 771,036 defined daily doses of medication totaling 59,333 pounds this week.

The following organizations received supplies:

• Ministerio Salud Publica, Paraguay ($1.3M)
• Baylor College of Medicine – Children’s Foundation Malawi ($734.6K)
• Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda ($266K)
• Diabaction Congo – Institut du Diabete Maison Bleue ($238.2K)
• Robena Health Center, Sierra Leone ($157.4K)
• Churches of Christ Medical Santo, Vanuatu ($150.8K)
• Area 25 Health Centre, Malawi ($135.6K)
• Anera West Bank ($127.8K)
• HOPE Hospital, Bangladesh ($91.1K)
• Sanjay Ghandi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Science, India ($72.8K)
• Aberdeen Women’s Centre, Sierra Leone ($36.9K)
• Patan Hospital, Nepal ($29.7K)
• St. Mary’s Hospital, Lacor, Uganda ($28.5K)
• Disaster Relief Australia ($11.8K)

Bolstering Health Equity Efforts Across the U.S.

This week the organization announced the formation of a health equity fund, which aims to provide financial support primarily to community health centers, and to free and charitable clinics, whose patients include a high percentage of racial and ethnic minorities. Initial anchoring support for the Fund has been provided by long-term partner AbbVie, which announced in December its contribution as part as part of its larger social investment, and by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This month the NBA also announced its support as part of NBA All-Star 2021, and the Fund welcomes others to join the efforts.

Direct Relief Establishes “Health Equity Fund” with Initial $75 Million

The organization also continues to issue grants to more than 200 health centers across the U.S. involved in Covid-19 vaccination efforts. This week, two health facilities in Santa Barbara County, where Direct Relief is headquartered, received an infusion of support. The Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast received $150,000 each to support outreach efforts and patient care.

Direct Relief Supports Santa Barbara County Clinics with $300,000 Donation

Year to Date

Since January 1, 2021, Direct Relief has delivered 4,036 shipments to 1,240 partner organizations in 49 U.S. states and territories and 56 countries. These shipments contained 53.7 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $198.3 million (wholesale) and totaling 1.6 million lbs. (800 tons).

Other grants from Direct Relief this year have supported the following organizations:

The post More than 1 Million Defined Daily Doses of Medication Shipped This Week appeared first on Direct Relief.

English

Los miembros son:

• Copresidenta Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, 18.a cirujana general de los Estados Unidos, fundadora de BayouClinic, Inc.
• Copresidente Byron Scott, MD, MBA, director de la junta de Direct Relief y presidente de su Consejo Asesor Médico
• Martha Dawson, DNP, MSN, RN, FACHE, presidenta y directora ejecutiva de la Asociación Nacional de Enfermeras Afroamericanas, profesora asociada de la Universidad de Alabama en Birmingham
• Jane Delgado, PhD, MS, presidenta y directora ejecutiva de la Alianza Nacional para la Salud de los Hispanos
• Gail Small, JD, Jefa mujer, ciudadana de la Tribu Cheyenne del Norte

Un objetivo clave del Fondo durante el período inicial de cinco años consiste en brindar apoyo financiero a los centros de salud comunitarios y clínicas gratuitas y de beneficencia, así como a otras organizaciones comunitarias e instituciones educativas que se centran en asuntos y circunstancias no clínicos, pero que afectan en gran medida la salud de las personas (el entorno físico y los factores sociales, políticos, culturales y económicos) comúnmente conocidos como los determinantes sociales de la salud.

El Fondo invitará a presentar solicitudes en una fecha posterior.

El apoyo inicial para el Fondo ha sido proporcionado por el socio de largo término AbbVie, que anunció en diciembre su contribución como parte de su amplia inversión social, y por la filántropa MacKenzie Scott. Este mes, la NBA también anunció su apoyo al Fondo como parte de la NBA All-Star 2021. El Fondo les da la bienvenida a otros a unirse a los esfuerzos.

Direct Relief brinda apoyo caritativo extenso y continuo a más de 2,000 organizaciones de este tipo en los EE. UU. con donaciones de medicamentos que son necesarios para pacientes sin seguro o medios para pagar, y también durante emergencias. Esta experiencia ha puesto de relieve la falta de apoyo financiero filantrópico complementario en las cantidades y con la flexibilidad que permita a los grupos con eficacia probada, y que se han ganado la confianza de las comunidades, construir sobre programas exitosos o probar otros nuevos y prometedores, oportunidades que el Fondo buscará aprovechar.

“Direct Relief está profundamente agradecida por los recursos financieros extraordinariamente generosos que ya se han proporcionado al Fondo para la Equidad en la Salud y por la orientación ofrecida por los distinguidos miembros del Consejo Asesor que han dedicado sus vidas a promover la equidad en la salud”, dijo Thomas Tighe, director ejecutivo de Direct Relief.

“Este esfuerzo de ninguna manera restará valor al trabajo inmediato y necesario que queda por hacer mientras la pandemia de la Covid se intensifica, sino que ayudará a manejar mejor la realidad cuando salgamos de la pandemia para brindar apoyo a quienes mejor saben qué puede marcar la diferencia”.

The post Direct Relief Crea el “Fondo para la Equidad en la Salud” con un Monto Inicial de $75 Millones appeared first on Direct Relief.

Español

The members are:

• Co-Chair Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, 18th U.S. Surgeon General of the United States, Founder BayouClinic, Inc.
• Co-Chair Byron Scott, MD, MBA, Board Director of Direct Relief and Chair of its Medical Advisory Council
• Martha Dawson, DNP, MSN, RN, FACHE, President and CEO President of the National Black Nurses Association, Associate Professor the University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Jane Delgado, PhD, MS, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health
• Gail Small, JD, Head Chief Woman, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe

A key aim of the Fund over the initial five-year period is to provide financial support to community health centers as well as free and charitable clinics, as well as other community-based organizations and educational institutions that focus on non-clinical matters and circumstances that strongly affect a person’s health – physical environment and social, political, cultural, and economic factors – commonly known as the social determinants of health. The Fund will invite applications at a later date.

Initial anchoring support for the Fund has been provided by long-term partner AbbVie, which announced in December its contribution as part as part of its larger social investment, and by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This month the NBA also announced its support as part of NBA All-Star 2021, and the Fund welcomes others to join the efforts.

Direct Relief provides extensive, ongoing charitable support to over 2,000 such organizations across the U.S. with donations of essential medications for patients without insurance or means to pay, and also during emergencies. This experience has highlighted the lack of complementary philanthropic financial support in amounts and with flexibility that would enable groups with proven effectiveness and the earned trust of communities to build upon successful programs or try promising new ones – opportunities that the Fund will seek to fulfill.

“Direct Relief is profoundly grateful for the extraordinarily generous financial resources already provided to the Fund for Health Equity and for the guidance offered by distinguished members of the Advisory Council who have devoted their lives to promoting health equity,” said Direct Relief’s CEO Thomas Tighe. “This effort will in no way detract from the immediate, necessary work that remains to be done as the Covid pandemic rages, but it will help shape for the better what exists when we emerge from the pandemic by providing support to those who know best what can make a difference.”

The post Direct Relief Establishes “Health Equity Fund” with Initial $75 Million 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.

“With this donation to Direct Relief, we hope to not only highlight the inequities that exist in healthcare in South Florida’s minority communities, but to begin to close the gap,” said Eric Woolworth, President of The HEAT Group’s Business Operations.

The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic has again highlighted the severe inequities that exist in the United States among persons of different races, as persons of color have experienced disproportionately higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death from the virus. The most recent CDC surveillance data reports that Black or African American persons COVID-19 infection rates are 2.6x higher, hospitalizations are 4.7x higher, and deaths are 2.1x higher compared to White, Non-Hispanic persons.

To launch the partnership and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, HEAT legend Glen Rice, TV Host and Courtside Reporter Jason Jackson, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee joined the Miami HEAT Dancers, Burnie the mascot and HEAT staffers on Friday at Community Health of South Florida, Inc.’s Doris Ison Health Center to serve meals to its 400 frontline healthcare workers and 150 patients. The meals were prepared by World Central Kitchen.

“CHI Is honored to receive donations, lunch and this festive visit from Direct Relief and the Miami HEAT,” said Brodes H. Hartley, Jr. CHI CEO. “I know our staff will be delighted with the gifts and recognition. They have selflessly devoted themselves to patient care throughout this pandemic.”

Continue reading at NBA.com.

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Off the court, the 7-foot-1-inch PhD-holder reflects his game-time seriousness when it comes to health issues disproportionately affecting the African-American community, specifically heart disease, as well as community service, and his overarching goal surrounding interactions with others.

“I wanted to be the one to help educate people out there,” O’Neal told Direct Relief during a recent interview in Los Angeles.

The American Heart Association reports heart disease rates of 60.1% for black males and 57.1% for black females compared to heart disease rates of 50.6% for white males and 43.4% for white females. The Centers for Disease Control stated that, from 1999-2017, non-Hispanic African Americans were more than twice as likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders, the ethnic group which experienced the fewest heart-related fatalities over the past two decades.

Being a spokesperson for that message of health and prevention is something O’Neal takes as a personal mission — beyond his partnership with a pharmaceutical company that owns a heart failure drug, which he did not pitch during the interview.

“If I partner up with people that are experts who give me information, I can break it down, give it to the homeboys and homegirls. It’s very simple you just gotta get checked out, go see your doctor,” he said, adding that he’s part of the impacted community and understands the challenges.

“We do things different, we eat a lot of different foods, because that’s what we were raised up on, but when you get older, a lot of times, that stuff’s not healthy. So you go out, you get checked, you get a diagnosis from your doctor, he can help you go longer and that’s what we want.”

Despite advocating for more doctor visits and early screening, Shaq said he grew up without having a doctor he saw regularly, and even today is reluctant to visit doctors for routine ailments.

“I’m raised by a military drill sergeant, we don’t get sick,” he said. “We don’t. We don’t have time to get sick, we don’t have time to mess around, we don’t have time to complain.”

Instead, he tries to stick to the basics by eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep, and not drinking nor smoking cannabis, he said.

“Doing What You’re Supposed to Do,” for the Good of Others

In addition to his high profile business moves and TV hosting gig, Shaq is also active as a philanthropist but, as he is wont to do, follows his own playbook, starting with terminology.

“Well, I don’t call it giving back, I call it doing what you’re supposed to do. This is something I was taught to do. I’m going to do it until the wheels come off,” he said, noting that he has been giving since he was drafted and gravitates towards initiatives that look out for kids, teachers and police officers.

He said he prefers to donate goods and his time surreptitiously, giving an example of simply going to a store, purchasing some printers and dropping it off at a school that needs them.

Isaiah Pickens, PhD, is a national board member for Communities In Schools, one of the groups Shaq is involved with. The national organization tries to remedy discrepancies that exist in disadvantaged schools, whether it’s resourced-based, connecting students with mentors, providing care for PTSD-afflicted students. The goal, Pickens said, is to avoid “Lost Einsteins,” a term created by Harvard economist Raj Chetty, which refers to kids who could have created great things, if only they had been given the necessary support.

“Shaq has always been into education, he’s big on school and I really appreciate that. He’s really onboard with all of us,” Pickens said.

Even as Shaq might prefer to give without fanfare and live like, what he called “regular people,” it’s impossible to ignore the gravitational impact he has on others, both young and old in a room, drawing easy smiles and laughs. This influence, which cannot be explained simply by his playing career and size — plenty of hall of famers and former centers elicit no such response — did not emerge by accident.

As his former teammates win Oscars, coach, and buy esports teams, Shaq said, strongly, that he harbors a goal that is no less lofty.

“I want to make people happy, I don’t care about any of that. At the end of the day, when people say, ‘I met Shaq,’ I want them to say he was cool, period, end of discussion,” he said, before sharing that his championship rings are buried with his father, and “resting in peace with him.”

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The FedEx Express MD-10 was loaded today in Memphis with medicines and medical supplies to assist Direct Relief’s humanitarian efforts for the people and communities affected by Hurricane Irma. The resources will be delivered to community health centers and clinics throughout Florida, in close coordination with the Florida Association of Community Health Centers, as well as to hospitals in Anguilla, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands, and British Virgin Islands. The cargo jet was also carrying more than 4,000 hygiene kits for Heart to Heart International as well as employee relief supplies and generators.

The relief supplies were unloaded upon arrival in Miami, and more than 150 dogs and cats from Miami-area shelters were loaded on board the MD-10. The animals were then flown to Oakland, Calif., where they were delivered to no-kill shelters in the San Francisco area.

“On behalf of our 400,000 FedEx team members, we take great pride in using our global network to deliver hope and help in times of crisis,” said David J. Bronczek, president and chief operating officer of FedEx Corp. “We are inspired by the passion of these organizations and their drive to make a difference in the world. All of us at FedEx remain committed to working closely with humanitarian and disaster relief organizations to provide support and deliver supplies to assist those hardest hit by these storms.”

Direct Relief for Those Who Need It Most

FedEx has worked with Direct Relief for more than a decade to deliver medical resources during times of disaster. “Hurricane Irma’s toll on lives and livelihoods in Florida and across the Caribbean has been steep, while at the same time damaging to the health facilities and infrastructure that are essential for recovery,” said Thomas Tighe, president and CEO, Direct Relief. “That’s why the leadership of FedEx in logistics and transportation is critically important and serves as a lifeline to the people and communities still at risk.”

How @MiamiHeat helped save #dogs from euthanization (with a little help) after #HurricaneIrma https://t.co/Jp5yMXwxdh @FedEx @DirectRelief pic.twitter.com/Y4OCXF9QFN

— Connie Ogle (@OgleConnie) September 15, 2017

Teaming Up to Save Shelter Animals

Hurricane Irma also created a pet emergency, with shelters becoming quickly overcrowded due to displaced dogs and cats in hard-hit areas. Members of the Miami HEAT heard about the overcrowding crisis at local shelters and collaborated with the Golden State Warriors to come up with a plan. The NBA teams reached out to FedEx to assist.

“As residents of South Florida, we have experienced our fair share of hurricanes through the years and we are keenly aware of the challenges before, during and after a storm,” said Eric Woolworth, president of The HEAT Group’s Business Operations. “Displaced or abandoned pets are helpless and heart-breaking casualties of a hurricane’s aftermath. This cross-country airlift wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our friends at FedEx and the Golden State Warriors. I speak for everyone at the HEAT and AmericanAirlines Arena when I say our hope is two-fold: to reunite lost pets with their owners and to encourage South Floridians to consider adopting a furry friend who is in desperate need of a new home.”

“It’s been eye-opening to learn about all the animals affected by natural disasters like Hurricane Irma, so when I heard about this event, I knew I wanted to be involved,” said Warriors center Zaza Pachulia. “I’m proud to represent my teammates and the Warriors organization as a part of this great collaboration, and I’m looking forward to hearing about all these dogs and cats finding loving homes in the Bay Area.”

Providing Shelter

As part of their efforts to assist animals impacted by Hurricane Irma, the ASPCA is providing Miami-Dade Animal Services with sheltering assistance and helped facilitate the transport of hundreds of displaced homeless animals from Miami area shelters to the West Coast. The ASPCA is providing ground transportation for approximately a hundred animals upon their arrival at the Oakland International Airport to the Marin Humane Society and the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, where they will eventually be made available for adoption. In total, the ASPCA has helped transport more than 1,000 animals out of communities impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and continues to provide search-and-rescue and sheltering assistance in Florida and Texas.

“The ASPCA is pleased to be in a position where we can assist animal shelters in Florida by helping move homeless cats and dogs out of impacted communities to free up much-needed space for owned pets displaced by the storm,” said Dick Green, senior director of Disaster Response for ASPCA Field Investigations and Response. “The animals transported to the West Coast today will have a second chance to find safe and loving homes thanks to destination shelters opening their doors for Florida cats and dogs in need.”

This special relief flight is part of the company’s FedEx Cares initiative, through which FedEx will invest $200 million in more than 200 global communities by 2020 to create opportunities and deliver positive change around the world.

For more information on the relief effort, please visit the FedEx blog here.

The post FedEx, Direct Relief, Heart to Heart International, Miami HEAT and Golden State Warriors Team Up For Hurricane Irma Critical Relief appeared first on Direct Relief.

Many of the players are donating $1,000.00 for every point they score in their respective games occurring March 25-27th including LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Al Horford, JaVale McGee, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook. Others have committed to a set donation including DJ Augustin, Jarron Collins, Jason Collins, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Tyreke Evans, Danilo Gallinari, Xavier Henry, Antawn Jamison, Jason Kapono, Quincy Pondexter, Brian Scalabrine, Etan Thomas, and Ben Wallace.

The donations will go to Direct Relief’s Japan Relief and Recovery Fund. Formed with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the Fund supports the immediate health needs of people by working with local authorities best situated to assess, respond, and prepare for the long-term recovery.

“We are incredibly proud that our athletes have rallied together to assist with Direct Relief’s efforts in Japan,” said Arn Tellem, principal of the management division of leading sports marketing and management agency, Wasserman Media Group, that represents the athletes. “Due to the gravity of the situation, we hope that citizens around the world consider following the example of our athletes by making a donation of any amount to an organization of their choice assisting in the Japanese relief efforts.”

Direct Relief has already provided emergency funds for the provision of emergency materials for thousands of displaced persons in 20 facilities throughout Miyagi prefecture, with special attention being paid to the needs of persons with disabilities and elderly persons.

“Direct Relief responds to emergencies all around the world, including the U.S., and the scale of the tragedy in Japan is immense by any measure,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief. “These world-class NBA athletes are showing world-class generosity to support people in Japan who need help now and will still need it as the headlines fade. We hope they light up scoreboards this weekend.”

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