A tornado with wind speeds of 170 miles per hour ripped through Lee County, Alabama, where at least 23 people have died as a result of the storm.

Direct Relief has ongoing relationships with more than a dozen healthcare partners in the storm-impacted areas, and has offered emergency assistance to those facilities. Direct Relief’s medical inventory includes essential medicines and supplies to support patients with both acute and chronic needs after a disaster.

During events such as tornadoes, storms, or wildfires, shelters often open to care for people in the days and weeks following. Those who have quickly evacuated their homes may lack access to basic medicines and supplies needed to maintain their health, particularly in Alabama, where analysis data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows higher rates of chronic disease.

It’s critical to ensure access to medicines for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other conditions, which can put patients at higher risk of a medical emergency.

Direct Relief’s Emergency Health Kits contain dozens of essential medicines and medical supplies for patient care during the first 72-hour period of an emergency, and the organization is ready to respond to ongoing health needs as requested.

The post Deadly Tornadoes Sweep through Southern U.S., Direct Relief Offers Assistance appeared first on Direct Relief.

Direct Relief has been in communication with the Puerto Rico Department of Health, Office of Public Health Preparedness & Response and has built a shipment of specifically requested medicines and medical supplies to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. That shipment is scheduled to leave in the coming days once logistical channels are cleared.

Direct Relief’s contacts at the Emergency Operation Center have gathered initial needs for the different entities responding to the disaster. The EOC is requesting that all donations go through their official channels, which Direct Relief is uniquely positioned to do through its pre-existing representative agent for product clearances, as well as coordination directly with the Department of Health. Two areas have been identified as medical distribution centers for which Direct Relief donations will be targeted.

Support is designated for two municipal islands of Culebra and Vieques located to the east of Puerto Rico that were affected by Hurricane Irma. Four orders for these municipalities have been consolidated and are ready to ship. In addition, product is also earmarked for both residents and refugees from surrounding Caribbean islands affected by the storm (namely British and U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Martin, St. Thomas). About 2,000 people from these places are being triaged and assessed for their medical needs in Puerto Rico.

Lastly, Puerto Rico is currently caring for at least 120 dialysis patients that are currently being housed in hotels but will likely be placed in special needs shelters and will require long-term care. Direct Relief is in contact with a physician from the U.S. Public Health Service, in coordination with the EOC, who is putting together a list of insulin needs for those patients. A shipment will be built and sent in the coming week.

Direct Relief has longstanding relationships with healthcare partners throughout the island, and more than $400,000 in assistance has been sent to those clinics over the past year.

The post Critical Aid Shipments Poised for Hurricane-Impacted Caribbean appeared first on Direct Relief.

Direct Relief has already prepositioned emergency medical supplies at 14 locations across Florida, ready to be used by clinicians as needed. The packs contain enough medicines and supplies to treat 100 people for 3-5 days.

Over 70 healthcare partners in Florida and Puerto Rico have been notified, and Direct Relief is ready to respond to providers as they request medical resources.

Earlier this week, Direct Relief deployed a module of emergency medications from its warehouse in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti to Cap-Haitien in anticipation of Irma’s projected path on the north side of the country.

The module arrived at Justinien University Hospital and contains enough emergency medicines and supplies to treat 1,000 patients.

Cap-Haitien is Haiti’s second-largest city and is prone to flooding, given its location on the northern coast. According to longtime long-time Direct Relief partner in the area, Konbit Sante, the new pediatric building, where the medications will be stored, is thought to be one of the safest locations in the region, having been constructed to withstand up to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake and is elevated at least 10 feet above ground level to avoid flooding.

Hurricane Preparedness Packs are also stationed throughout the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

The post As Hurricane Irma Approaches, Life-saving Medicine Staged Across Florida, Caribbean appeared first on Direct Relief.

Direct Relief and NAFC have worked closely together for more than 12 years to support the work of these organizations treating patients throughout the country. They have worked on several strategic partnerships targeting resources and financial support aimed at helping to bolster the services provided by NAFC members.

“For the past decade, Direct Relief has worked closely with NAFC and supported its 60 members in Texas that provide care through 350,000 patient visits each year and deployed their staffs and resources immediately to care for those in shelters and in communities affected by Harvey,” said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. “These organizations are a critical part of the health safety net for people who are particularly vulnerable in Harvey’s wake, and this initial funding is to ensure they can continue to play this vital role providing care for people with few other options.”

This funding pool is structured to help assist NAFC members with immediate needs, including supporting any unanticipated, but non-reimbursable costs, such as outreach, overtime pay, supplies, clean-up efforts, transportation, and other essential items in communities that have experienced damage or operational losses from Hurricane Harvey. Funding is made possible due to contributions Direct Relief has received for Hurricane Harvey. NAFC will manage and grant funds in consultation with Direct Relief.

Already, initial needs have been communicated with NAFC members, including the Ibn Sina Foundation in Houston and Christ Clinic in Katy, which are providing expanded medical assistance for flood-affected individuals and families. The clinics have treated dozens of children and adults and continue to provide free consultations, tetanus shots, insulin (for adults), hygiene kits and other support.

“The NAFC is thankful for our Partner Direct Relief and for their constant dedication to providing assistance for the medically underserved and members of the safety net, including Free and Charitable Clinics and Charitable Pharmacies,” said Nicole Lamoureux, NAFC CEO. “It is difficult times such as these that we often see the best in humanity, where people and organizations step up to do whatever they can to help others. This is exemplified in Direct Relief’s work in disaster relief and in their continued commitment to helping the medically underserved and those in need.”

Direct Relief continues to provide emergency assistance to NAFC members, as well as other safety-net providers throughout Texas and is in contact with facilities in Louisiana. Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Direct Relief has provided 93 emergency shipments to 26 sites containing more than $1.7 million in medicines and supplies, which include tetanus, insulin, and other requested medications that are critically important for patients with chronic conditions that can rapidly become life threatening if unmanaged.

The post Hurricane Harvey: Direct Relief Pledges Emergency Funding for National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics 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.

The award was presented at NACHC’s 45th annual Community Health Institute (CHI) in San Diego, Calif., an annual gathering that brings together thousands of health center leaders, opinion-makers, policy experts, clinicians and consumers to discuss the climbing demand for primary care as more people gain access to insurance, and to develop strategies to sustain public investment and expand health center capacity at a time when millions of newly insured need primary care medical homes.

In presenting the award, NACHC cited the organization’s extensive relief efforts to help Community Health Centers serve their current patient-base of 23 million people — one in 15 people living in the United States – both on an ongoing basis and during emergencies such as Hurricane Sandy. Immediately after the superstorm hit the East Coast, Direct Relief joined with NACHC to establish a special fund to support patients receiving care at health centers in affected communities.

“It makes us proud that Direct Relief has dedicated the full force of its programs in the United States to ongoing support of community health centers and other safety net providers,” said NACHC Board Chair Elect Ricardo Guzman.

Since starting its domestic program, Direct Relief has distributed $450 million in medicines and medical supplies and nearly $10 million in cash grants to its ever-growing network of more than 1,200 clinics and health centers in all 50 states. It now distributes more medical aid within the U.S. than any other country.

Direct Relief was previously honored at the 2007 NACHC CHI Conference for assistance to Community Health Centers and their patients in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

About National Association of Community Health Centers

Founded in 1970, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance and expand access to quality, community-responsive health care for America’s medically underserved and uninsured. NACHC represents the nation’s network of over 1,200 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which serve over 22 million people through over 9,000 sites located in all of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. For more information, please visit www.nachc.com.

The post Power of Partnership: Direct Relief Honored At National Community Health Center Conference appeared first on Direct Relief.

Direct Relief USA is the nation’s largest nonprofit charitable medicine program and provides donations of medications, vaccine, and medical supplies to serve low-income, uninsured patients through a network of more than 1,000 nonprofit health centers and clinics in all 50 states.

The 197,000 doses of vaccine that have already been provided free of charge through the Direct Relief USA network were donated to Direct Relief by Merck and Sanofi Pasteur.  Direct Relief is continuing to work with manufacturers and the community-based health centers and clinics to assess and respond to needs.

The network of nonprofit health centers and clinics serve as a critical healthcare safety net in the United States and provide primary care and referral services to more than 23 million people.  Direct Relief is the only nonprofit organization in the United States that is licensed to distribute prescription medications in all 50 U.S. states and is the sole nonprofit accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as a Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributor.

The post Flu Vaccine Assistance to 38 States and Expanding appeared first on Direct Relief.

I asked Mollie Melbourne, the Director of Emergency Management at NACHC, about Direct Relief’s health center partners’ needs and emergency response plans to find out how we can better assist them daily and in times of crisis. Below are her responses, which shed light on the important role community health centers have in meeting their local health needs.

Damon Taugher: Following an emergency, what types of assistance do clinics and health centers need the most?

Mollie Melbourne: It really depends a bit on the emergency. After a natural disaster like a hurricane or tornado, health centers frequently provide first aid and triage care to patients and other members of the community who have been affected by the event.  So, they typically ask for things like tetanus vaccine, bandages, antibiotic ointment, over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, and the like. Once the immediate response has passed, health centers then tend to look for medications to treat chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, which may be harder to find in an impacted community.

In addition, health centers will often ask for personal hygiene products, like soap, shampoo, and toothbrushes for staff, patients, and community members who can’t return to their homes because of evacuation, damage, or other reasons. They also may need patient education materials in multiple languages, support in seeking assistance for damage and loss their organization (or staff and patients) incurred as a result of the event, as well as information around policies, regulations, and standards that may apply in the situation.

DT: Community members often turn to safety net clinics and health centers for care following an emergency. What role do health centers play following an emergency and what can they do to better prepare?  

MM: Health centers are such critical partners in a community response to an emergency.  The roles played by a health center vary quite a bit based on the situation as well as the capacity of the community as a whole and the health center. Overall, a really important role that health centers play in emergencies is to maintain care for their patients—who still get sick, require follow-up, and need medications even during emergencies. This helps to maintain continuity for the patient but also protects the resiliency of the healthcare infrastructure so that those who need services beyond the primary care level can better access it.

Another typical role for health centers is that of providing triage and first aid in response to an event. In large events or cases where the health center facility was damaged, health centers have provided these services from mobile clinics, at alternate care sites, or even on foot while pulling a wagon loaded with basic supplies and bottles of water.

Health centers are truly in and of their communities—they see their patients, colleagues, friends, and families hurting (physically, psychologically, or both) and want to help any way that they can. A familiar face, kind word, or hug can go a long way to help people as they rebuild their lives and their community following an emergency. Health centers know this well and do it with such competence and caring.

DT: How can they better prepare? 

MM: Great question. There are a number of things that can help a health center become more resilient following an emergency. First, having an emergency management plan that fits their health center and will help them maintain their operations when things get difficult (power outage, infrastructure damage, and so on). The process used for creating this plan is as important as the plan—training staff, collaborating with community partners, and integrating the response of the health center into the response of the community.

Secondly, having well prepared staff on a personal level.  Your organization could have the greatest plans in place but if your staff aren’t prepared to come to work following an emergency, you aren’t going to be able to do much. Making that an organizational priority is key—and there are so many great resources available for free to help people get prepared—so health centers can help their staff by sharing information from Ready.gov and CARD (cardcanhelp.org) to name just a few.

DT: How does NACHC support the emergency preparedness efforts of health centers? (NOTE: NACHC’s emergency management work is available to all health centers, not just members.)

MM: Our main focus is building emergency management capacity at health centers and PCAs, the state based associations of health centers. We do this through webinars on particular topics, conference sessions, online learning courses, and training events targeting health centers and PCAs. We also develop and compile tools and resources to help health centers move their planning further along to promote effective response and recovery following an event. This includes sample policies, plan templates, staff training materials, and so on. Lastly, we educate health center partners at every opportunity so that they are aware of the incredible assets and skills that health centers bring to the planning table and response efforts within a community.

DT: Can you share some lessons learned from past emergencies you have been involved with?

MM: Sure. I have mentioned a few of them already—like encouraging personal preparedness among staff, having a plan that will work when you need it to, and working with your local partners, but there are a few other things that I have learned over the past six years of my work in this role.

• Our patients will come to us whether we are ready or not—they know and trust us and we need to be ready for them.
• Communication is going to be a problem so make sure that staff know what they are to do, how they are to do it, and when they are to do it without needing to be told before anything happens.
• Seems pretty simple, but PRACTICE your plan. You can find a lot of areas for improvement by conducting drills and exercises. The time to find out that your plan doesn’t work as you thought it would is NOT during an emergency.
• Never underestimate the psychological impact of an emergency on your staff, patients, and community. It is critical to build in mental health support and staff in all of your planning efforts.
• Make time to attend local planning meetings—you can learn a lot about what your community is planning and how your organization fits into those plans. It is also a great chance to enlighten your partners about what you can do during an emergency response as well as in everyday life.
• Health centers are incredibly resourceful during emergencies while never losing sight of their patients’ needs. I am always humbled by the way health centers just do what needs to be done for their patients and their communities following an emergency. And they do it with such grace and compassion. Truly inspiring.
• Lastly, I have learned that Direct Relief is an amazing friend to health centers. You have been there to help when we, and our patients, have needed you most. And for that, we are and will remain, deeply grateful.

The post The Critical Role Community Health Centers Play Across the U.S. appeared first on Direct Relief.

The vaccines are provided at the request of St. Charles Community Health Center and EXCELth Family Health Center in Louisiana to protect residents displaced by the storm or engaging in cleanup activities. EXCELth is scheduled to receive two additional shipments of medicine and supplies valued at $170,000. Direct Relief’s Emergency Team is also coordinating with City Action Partnership in Birmingham, Alabama, which is working to support several shelters and facilities throughout the city.

Since Isaac formed in the Caribbean two weeks ago, Direct Relief’s Emergency Response Team has been in close contact with clinic partners along the Gulf Coast, monitoring changing circumstances and health needs and offering its emergency supply of medicine and medical resources to hurricane-affected areas.

As residents continue to return, preliminary reports indicate that Hurricane Isaac damaged more than 13,000 homes according to the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

In advance of hurricane season, Direct Relief equipped 50 clinic partners in hurricane-prone regions of the U.S. with hurricane preparedness packs, which contain enough medicine and medical supplies to treat up to 100 people for three to five days. Three partners in Isaac’s path utilized their hurricane preparedness packs over the past week to serve patients in their communities.

Direct Relief’s Hurricane Preparedness program—the largest effort of its kind in the U.S.—is a million-dollar initiative that pre-positions large quantities of medicines and supplies at nonprofit health centers, clinics, and hospitals in at-risk areas so the materials are immediately available during emergencies such as Hurricane Isaac. The pre-positioning of these medical resources is a key component of Direct Relief’s emergency preparedness efforts and ongoing assistance to partner clinics to facilitate a fast, efficient response when a disaster strikes.

Direct Relief would like to thank the following companies for their support: 3M, Abbott, Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Allergan, Inc., Ansell Healthcare, AstraZeneca, Baxter International Inc., Belmora LLC, BD, Boehringer Ingelheim Cares, C.R. Bard Medical Division, Chattem Inc., Covidien, Eli Lilly & Company, FirstLine Gloves, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, GSMS Incorporated, Henry Schein, Inc., Honeywell Products, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, McKesson Medical Surgical, Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Microflex, Mylan Laboratories Inc., Omron Healthcare, Inc., P&G, Pfizer, Inc., Plak Smacker, Rye Pharmaceuticals LLC, and Sanofi US.

The post Update: Isaac Response Continues appeared first on Direct Relief.