Medications and supplies shipped this week included field medic packs for triage care, diabetes and hemophilia-focused medicines, anti-inflammatories, personal protective equipment, anesthetics, rare disease therapies, and more.

Tropical Storm Trami Hits the Philippines, Larger Region

Tropical Storm Trami made landfall in the northeastern Philippines last week, killing at least 152 people. Known locally as Kristine, the storm brought heavy flooding and landslides which, along with strong winds, have hampered relief efforts.

In an initial response, Direct Relief, which has staff based in the Philippines, offered field medic packs equipped with medical essentials to the Philippines’ Department of Health and to the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, and remains ready to respond to requests from partner organizations in the area.

The Philippines, the greater Southeast Asia region, and China were hit earlier this year by Typhoon Yagi, which killed dozens of people, and by Typhoon Gaemi. Direct Relief coordinated with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) to assess and respond to needs throughout Southeast Asia.

Major flooding has also taken place throughout the year in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. In India, the flooding triggered a major mudslide in July. A medical bus purchased with Direct Relief funds by Amrita Hospital in Kerala, India, was deployed in response. This week, a requested three-pallet shipment was dispatched to Dhulikhel Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, in response to flooding and landslides in that country.

Flood events in South Asia are frequently connected to cyclones and tropical storms. After landfall in the Philippines and Vietnam, they weaken into low-pressure systems as they move inland. Within a week, these systems reach the Himalayas, where they can generate heavy rainfall that flows southward, leading to flooding in Nepal and extending into northern Pakistan and India.

Direct Relief will continue to respond as needed.

Direct Relief Storytelling Reaches New Global Audiences

Direct Relief’s co-produced short documentary with the BBC, the “Invisible Impacts of Wildfires,” was screened this week at the Tel Aviv International Film Festival by CINEVERSE. The documentary explores survival and resilience five years after the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County, California. Through the voices of healthcare providers at local health center Ampla Health and survivors, the video reveals harrowing, life-or-death moments from that day and the sustained efforts to rebuild and protect a community’s vital medical clinic, with a focus on resilient power, thereby ensuring care for all, no matter the challenge ahead.

The short doc premiered at the BBC Studios in New York City last year, has also been shown at the World Health Organization’s Health for All Film Festival, COP28 UAE in Dubai, and screened at Direct Relief’s headquarters with a panel featuring former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, UCSB Professor Olivier Deschenes, Washington Post Journalist Brianna Sacks. According to the BBC, the series has over 25 million views across social media.

“Invisible Impacts of Wildfires” is part of the BBC’s “The Climate & Us” series, which explores the global link between climate and health, as well as highlighting innovative healthcare solutions.

Supporting Local Veterans in Santa Barbara County

Last weekend, local nonprofit Santa Barbara County Veterans Stand Down held its 12th annual event to support veterans who are homeless or otherwise at-risk with free access to food, legal services, clothing, hygiene items, haircuts, medical care, social services, and more. Direct Relief, headquartered in Santa Barbara County, California, supported the event with donated personal care products, including soap, razors, and other hygiene items, sunscreen, and N95 masks.

Operational Snapshot

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 366 shipments containing 916,012 doses of medication during the past seven days to organizations, including the following:

Around the World

Globally, Direct Relief shipped over 1.1M defined daily doses of medication totaling 16,811 lbs., to countries including the following:

YEAR TO DATE

Since January 1, 2024, Direct Relief has delivered 20.6K shipments to 2,282 partner organizations in 54 U.S. states and territories and 88 countries. These shipments contained 351.5M defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.4B (wholesale) and totaled 4.4M lbs.

In the News

Heat, Carnival donate $2M to Direct Relief in support of hurricane recovery efforts – NBA.com

Going solar! Ventura County clinic gets solar power system which keeps it running during blackouts – KCLU

Teva, in Partnership With Direct Relief, Honored by U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation for Mental Health Efforts – Accesswire

Community Health Centers cuts ribbon on solar, battery system at Skyway Telehealth Center – Santa Maria Times

The post Responding to Tropical Storm Trami in Southeast Asia appeared first on Direct Relief.

None of this, apparently, was going to stop Simpson from leading Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers in an exhaustive response effort. Or from working to procure not just medicines and supplies for her clinicians, but food boxes for employees in danger of going without. She’d secured therapy for providers returning from the devastation they’d seen in the road, and emergency funding to pay staff salaries after Helene strained budgets and cost nonprofit health providers revenue.

But when Simpson spoke with Direct Relief on Friday morning, she was determined and even cheerful — although she admitted she needed to find some time to look for housing. She’d spent some in-person time with her team that morning, “getting to see their faces” instead of communicating through messaging. The health center had arranged a partnership with local pharmacies, so that medications for new and existing patients would be covered in coming weeks. Although her staff had started out the week with one open clinic and a mobile van, they’d been able to add working sites and expand their hours day by day.

“If we don’t stand up, people go without,” she said. “It’s situations like this that show the true strength of federally qualified health centers.”

“Wherever there is need”

The scale of Hurricane Helene’s impact is only beginning to emerge, but the region’s community health centers were preparing long before the storm hit. They’ve gathered the medications and supplies experience has taught them will be needed, such as through Direct Relief’s Hurricane Preparedness Program. Vulnerable patients have been connected with medication and services. Clinics and mobile medical units have been prepped for response efforts.

Health center leaders describe staff members showing up for work immediately after Helene had passed — even though staff are overwhelmingly locals themselves, and flooded houses, missing or sick relatives, and food shortages were affecting them as well.

Providers at Cherokee Health Systems, a community health center in eastern Tennessee, had spent the last few days moving from place to place to offer mobile clinic services, following guidance they’d received from local officials. In one unincorporated community, they found 200 older people who’d been unable to evacuate and who’d been essentially “locked in” by impassable roads, said Cherokee CEO Dr. Parinda Khatri.

“They are going wherever there is need,” she said.

For many of their patients, water was the most urgent issue. Cherokee Health is headquartered in Cocke County, which was in the middle of a widespread water outage when Dr. Khatri spoke to Direct Relief. Staff had parked one of their mobile medical units in front of a brick-and-mortar building so that providers could see patients using the unit’s internal water system, until government responders could provide a water tank.

Providers reported encountering exhausted responders on the road — one aid worker, serving out beans and cornbread, needed immediate medical attention. A Cherokee Health employee took over the food distribution until she’d recovered. Staff passed out bottles of water and non-perishable food as they went.

Dr. Khatri described staff members working to track down coworkers who’d been out of contact, and community health workers teaming up with behavioral health providers to check in with “every single patient” the health center serves. An IT worker rode with the mobile clinic so he could set up a public Wi-Fi connection for community members anxious to check in with friends and family.

At first, the most urgent need had been for first aid, Dr. Khatri said. People were showing up with injuries — one patient had been stabbed — and she was anticipating a significant need for tetanus and hepatitis vaccines in the days ahead. But in addition, she noted, “we’re starting to see people running out of their meds,” and doctors were expecting a growing need for insulin and other essential medications — even as local pharmacies were flooded out.

Direct Relief was preparing a shipment of emergency medical backpacks and hygiene kits for Cherokee Health. Sanitation was a serious and widespread issue, Dr. Khatri explained, and the emergency medical backpacks would be used in hard-to-reach communities where people were likely to need first aid and medicines. Cherokee’s providers are “in the community and they see what the needs are,” she said.

“Coming in with this desperation”

When Appalachian Mountain’s mobile van pulled up in an impacted community, Simpson said, people gravitated towards it. Clinicians saw high numbers of patients with open wounds – one provider got down on hands and knees with a bucket of water to clean out a particularly severe injury — and missing medications, and staff members passed out water, diapers, and Direct Relief hygiene kits as they went.

Simpson had received multiple requests for mobile services from local officials, who were concerned about vulnerable patients in impacted neighborhoods. On Friday, providers were on their way to a low-income senior care facility where they’d knock on doors and provide in-home medical care.

Staff were excited about a new shipment of Direct Relief emergency medical backpacks as well, she said. The medicines and supplies that the bags contain were essential for field work, but also: “They love those. They think they’re very cute.”

Even in brick-and-mortar clinics, “people are coming in with this desperation,” Simpson said. Some were existing patients, some had never been there before. “They don’t know what medicine they’re on, and they don’t have access to their bottles.”

Chronic disease and mental health medications were urgent requests, and Simpson was proud that, in the face of insulin shortages, her health center’s charitable pharmacies were working and able to supply deficiencies. Patients undergoing medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders – an important focus at Appalachian Mountain — were showing up terrified that the disaster’s upheaval would cause severe withdrawal symptoms.

Amid the urgency, Simpson watched with admiration and concern as staff members put their own needs to the side. One provider insisted on working, even though a number of her family members were still missing, and the odds that they were still alive were poor. Another handed over her own food to a displaced patient who’d gone hungry, and sat with them until they could get transportation to a shelter.

Simpson swung into gear again, organizing food boxes for the 15 employees who reported being without it, arranging for a therapist to volunteer her time with staff members, and requesting a $25,000 emergency grant from Direct Relief to pay salaries. Displaced employees — 28 people in total — were invited to stay in an office.

“We’re real, we’re here”

This tendency to prioritize patient needs above personal hardship is common in health centers, where caring for vulnerable patients is central to the mission, said Taina Lopez, director of emergency management at the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Lopez described one health center CEO who’d been hesitant to accept an offered air mattress after being displaced by Hurricane Helene — she was worried about taking a resource from someone whose need might be more urgent. Health center leaders were running emergency response operations while simultaneously trying to locate staff members who hadn’t checked in. They were worried about paying staff, arranging transportation, and organizing the child care that would enable providers to undertake lifesaving care.

While communications were slowly improving with satellite connections, NACHC stressed that rescue operations were still underway, and a large-scale understanding of impact and need would emerge slowly over time.

In the meantime, providers were drawing on insights and wisdom gleaned from other disasters. Health center leaders in Florida, which has frequently dealt with the impacts of flooding, were offering advice to North Carolina partners about procuring medical supplies, effectively directing a public outpouring of interest and support, and maximizing response efforts.

“These natural disasters are not going anywhere,” and neither is the need for resilient health systems that can respond to catastrophe, Lopez said.

Damaged clinics and providers with flooded-out homes are the flip side of an important truth: Being part of an impacted community — knowing where need exists and what’s most important, feeling committed to responding — is a tremendous strength.

Simpson, at Appalachian Mountain, put it this way: “We’re real, we’re here, and we’re doing the work.”

Support for community health centers is key to Direct Relief’s Hurricane Helene response. Long before tropical storm season, Direct Relief works with health center partners in vulnerable areas to stage caches of emergency medicines and supplies, and funds the purchase and outfitting of mobile medical units like Cherokee Health System’s, which provide lifesaving care in the aftermath of disasters.

Direct Relief is providing $25,000 emergency grants to 14 health organizations responding to Hurricane Helene, including Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers. In response to requests, Direct Relief has shipped emergency medications, water purification tablets, first aid supplies, emergency medical packs, hygiene kits, tetanus vaccines, and other essential resources to local organizations responding to Helene.

The post Infected Wounds, Housebound Seniors: Racing to Contain Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Impact, Health Center Staff Put Their Own Hardships Aside appeared first on Direct Relief.

Several roofs on the block had already been badly damaged — or torn off entirely — when a storm hit the city in May. They’d been partially repaired. And then, when Hurricane Beryl crashed through Houston last week, “they were torn off again,” said Smith, chief program officer at the Houston-based Spring Branch Community Health Center. “These were the same individuals who were impacted by the storm in May, and they’re still impacted.”

Spring Branch, which cares for an underserved patient population at eight local health clinics, had been hit hard by the storm too. Four of its locations lost power. Staff members were contending with the same issues — damage, power outages, brutal heat — that were affecting their patients.

But leaders and staff alike were determined to be there for their communities. “We have a pretty vulnerable population. Their needs don’t stop with a natural disaster,” Smith said.

That involved simultaneously meeting the most urgent needs — like water, food, and wound care — while preserving continuity of care. Keeping scheduled appointments meant that patients managing chronic diseases, expectant parents worrying about their pregnancies, and kids needing vaccinations wouldn’t slip through the cracks.

“The most vulnerable patients, they suffer during times like this,” Smith said.

At the same time, people who depended on the health center as a community resource needed a place to find supplies and information, to get out of the unrelenting heat, and to charge their phones.

“It’s seat of the pants when [a storm] hits, but we’ve been through several of these,” said Gerard Peperone, Spring Branch’s chief development officer. However, he said, having half the health center’s clinics out of commission added a new wrinkle.

Health care providers would have to double up in the remaining facilities. Call center staff would need to alert patients that their appointment location had changed — and arrange transportation for those who were too far away.

Despite concerns about overcrowding, Smith recalled, the doubled-up clinics moved smoothly. People took refuge in the working air conditioning, patients met with providers, and “you saw phones literally sitting and charging in every corner of the building,” he said.

Spring Branch’s staff filled in the gaps with mobile medical units, which Peperone explained had been provided by Direct Relief after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread devastation in 2017. Staff distributed food and water, supplies donated through the work of local government and community organizations.

In addition, they opened a Direct Relief Hurricane Preparedness Kit, stored at the health center in advance of hurricane season for use in emergencies, to distribute medications and medical supplies.

Spring Branch’s Family Development Center, located in a high-density Houston neighborhood with many immigrant families, was a particular concern. The power was out and providing care in the clinic wasn’t an option. But the center, Smith said, is “kind of the hub in this area” — a place with an onsite Boys & Girls Club and a WIC program offered through University of Texas Health.

“When things like this happen, people generally flock over to the center for all kinds of services,” he explained. “We always feel like we need to be present…Even if we can’t help them, their house has been destroyed, they need a place to come.”

Spring Branch staff set up a mobile clinic outside the center, so a provider could see people who came seeking health care. Smith noted that for many of them, having a provider see kids with respiratory or other illnesses was their top priority. Hot food was available, as was FEMA assistance.

At one point, Peperone remembered, rain started falling heavily while community members were picking up hot lunches. Staff and residents alike ran to move food and supplies into the clinic, so nothing would be lost.

When Smith and Peperone sat down to talk to Direct Relief, power was newly on at all locations. Air conditioners were cooling the overheated rooms so patients would have more places to take refuge. But it was clear that they weren’t stopping for a rest.

“We’re just at the beginning of hurricane season, and they’re thinking that it’s going to be a bad one,” Peperone said. “We need to look at everything we’ve done this time, where are some of the holes that need to be plugged in.”

Because hurricanes will increasingly be a way of life in Houston, which is located on the tropical storm-prone Gulf Coast, Peperone wants to make sure that everyone knows what works — and what to do — when disaster strikes.

“This was more than a dress rehearsal. It was a trial by fire,” he explained. “We now have the components in place.”

Smith agreed. “It’s not a matter of if,” he said. “It’s a matter of when.”

Direct Relief has worked with partners to meet emergency and medical needs caused by Hurricane Beryl since before the destructive storm made landfall. In Texas, the organization has dispatched requested medicines and supplies to a number of health centers, clinics, and others responding to the storm or caring for impacted patients. Shipments have included emergency health kits, each designed to provide medical care for 100 people for three to five days, emergency medical backpacks, hygiene kits, insulin, diabetes supplies, electrolytes, insect repellent, naloxone, personal protective equipment, prenatal vitamins, and other essential support.

Spring Branch Community Health Center received an emergency health kit, eight emergency medical backpacks, and 20 hygiene kits. In addition, a generator to be used for emergency needs and any future outages is being provided.

Direct Relief will continue to work closely with partners to meet health care needs in affected communities, and is committed to replenishing supplies and increasing medical resilience via its Hurricane Preparedness Program.

The post A Houston Health Center Meets Urgent Needs, Protects Long-Term Health in Beryl’s Aftermath appeared first on Direct Relief.

Grenada

In Grenada, preliminary damage assessments by the National Disaster Management Agency, the Ministry of Health, and other responding organizations found that the storm damaged or destroyed approximately 98% of structures on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The Princess Royal Hospital on Carriacou experienced damage to its roof, solar panels, and hot water system.  
  
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a Direct Relief partner, found that of 41 damaged health centers, 37 were still operational, although some were operating without electricity and relying on water trucked in by responders. 
  
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also reported that affected areas were difficult to access because of blocked roadways, downed trees, and debris. 

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Of 49 health facilities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 38 were still operational despite having sustained damage, according to PAHO. In the Southern Grenadines, however, the organization found all health facilities unable to operate because of damage. 
  
In addition, PAHO noted that some medical refrigerators and vaccines were compromised during the storm, with potential ramifications for people of all ages. 

Jamaica

Hundreds of people still remain in emergency shelters across the nation, according to the UN Children’s Fund. Damage is widespread, with blocked roads, widespread power loss, and flooding following more than 12 hours of heavy rainfall. 

Direct Relief’s Response

Direct Relief is coordinating closely with partners in the region, including the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, PAHO, and government health ministries. The organization’s emergency response team is also participating in coordination meetings convened by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and PAHO. 
  
In preparation for increased medical need, Direct Relief began working with partners to position supplies in the days before Hurricane Beryl’s landfall in the Caribbean. A Hurricane Preparedness Pack containing essential medicines and supplies designed to care for up to 1,000 people for 30 days, staged in St. Lucia in anticipation of hurricane season, was transported to Grenada along with three emergency medical backpacks. 
  
A second shipment of 20 cots and 20 canvas tents, from Direct Relief’s strategic stockpile in Puerto Rico, arrived on July 8. The supplies will support the Ministry of Health in its setting up emergency medical tents and providing emergency shelter on Carriacou Island. 
  
An additional Hurricane Preparedness Pack and 200 hygiene kits were dispatched from Direct Relief’s warehouse in Santa Barbara, California, on July 3. These are bound for the Ministry of Health of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Another 10 emergency medical backpacks were provided to Medical Professionals on a Mission, a rapid response team of health care providers who work to support the emergency health and humanitarian needs of Caribbean communities.  
  
Further shipments of medical replenishment and requested emergency medical aid are currently being prepared. 
  
In addition, Direct Relief is consulting with partners in the region to determine what medications, supplies, and equipment are most needed, and how the organization can best support response and recovery efforts. 
  
Finally, in Mexico and the US — where Beryl also made destructive landfalls — Direct Relief maintains strategically placed stockpiles of emergency medical supplies, each designed to provide medical support during or after a natural disaster. The organization is coordinating closely with governmental and safety net partners to keep track of impacts to health and medical needs.  
  
A number of shipments that include an Emergency Health Kit, emergency medical backpacks, hygiene kits, and other medical essentials have departed Direct Relief headquarters or are currently being prepared for safety net providers in Texas. 

The post Damaged Clinics, No Running Water, Compromised Vaccines: Hurricane Beryl’s Impacts on Health Care Are Widely Felt  appeared first on Direct Relief.

In Sulphur, Okla., a small town about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City, which sustained casualties, temporary shelters have been set up for those displaced by the storms. Local media also reported widespread damage to buildings, houses and a hospital in Marietta, Okla., which also saw casualties and endured an EF-4-rated tornado. This is the first EF-4 tornado, a classification which records wind gusts between 166 to 200 miles per hour, to hit the state since 2016, according to the National Weather Service.

Severe weather often impacts health outcomes long-term, especially for vulnerable communities such as those with chronic conditions, the young and elderly, and those without access to reliable transportation. This can occur due to interruptions in health care as a result of damage to a local facility, power outages, and other stresses that occur in the wake of a storm, such as a loss of housing.

Direct Relief has issued offers of support to health facilities, including community health centers and free and charitable clinics in Nebraska, Iowa, and Oklahoma, and will respond to requests as needed. Based on learnings from past severe weather events, Direct Relief maintains an inventory of chronic disease medications often requested after disasters, including therapies for diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma.

People who evacuate without a supply of medications needed to maintain their health can end up in the emergency room in medical crisis. The organization also maintains inventory for people displaced from their homes and living in shelter environments, including personal care kits that contain soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, and more.

These kits, which were shipped earlier this month to a clinic in Slidell, La. after tornadoes struck there, have been made available to partner clinics in the Midwest in addition to all available inventory should it be requested.

Direct Relief will continue to respond as requests become known.

The post After Deadly Tornadoes Hit U.S. Midwest, Direct Relief Offers Support appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 13.4 million defined daily doses of medication and supplies, including insulin, prenatal vitamins, oral rehydration tablets, and more.

Strengthening Cold Chain Capacity for Free Clinics

Recently, several pharmaceutical-grade refrigeration systems donated by Sanofi were delivered by Direct Relief to multiple clinics across the U.S., including Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy in Alabama and Welvista in South Carolina.

These fridges have expanded capacity at these sites, allowing for more storage of temperature-sensitive medications, like vaccines and insulin. The systems were donated and placed as part of Direct Relief’s ReplenishRx program, which works to provide free and charitable clinics with medications and supplies at no cost.

Supporting Care for Women in Malawi

This week, Dr. Anne Alaniz, a gynecological oncologist and founder of Pothawira International, spoke about her work in Malawi and her plans to build a new surgical center that will expand care for women in the region.

Direct Relief has supported Pothawira International with more than $5 million in oncology medications, midwife kits, which contain 50 essential items to facilitate safe births, and other requested medical aid. Pothawira, which translates to “Safe Haven,” includes an outpatient clinic, which sees 200 patients a day and a birthing center, which is expected to exceed 500 deliveries in 2024.

A new surgical center, which will include four operating rooms, will enable safe cesarean deliveries, laparoscopic surgeries, radiology services, and more for women who need cancer treatments or are experiencing birth complications. Pothawira also operates an orphanage, primary school, and sustainability farm to support community needs.

Dr. Alaniz, originally from Malawi and who moved to the U.S. at 16, now practices medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital between her medical missions in Malawi. She spoke to a gathering of about 120 people in Montecito, California, this week to raise awareness about Pothawira International and Direct Relief’s Maternal and Child Health Programs in advance of Mother’s Day.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Alaniz and Pothawira International.

Direct Relief Hosts Health Fair in Puerto Rico

Direct Relief and La Fondita de Jesús, a nonprofit focused on services to unhoused people and other vulnerable populations, hosted a health fair on April 23 in Rio Piedra, Puerto Rico. The fair offered health services, personal care kits filled with hygiene items for attendees, and more.

Direct Relief Chief Pharmacy Officer Honored

Direct Relief’s Chief Pharmacy Officer Alycia Clark, PharmD, has been selected among the “Top 50 Women in Business” by the Pacific Coast Business Times.

The Business Times honors 50 of the region’s top women leaders in a number of sectors, including finance, professional services, health care, technology, and nonprofits. Clark was selected for her outstanding contributions to public health and emergency response.

Read the full selection article here.

Operational Snapshot

WORLDWIDE

Over the last week, Direct Relief shipped more than 13 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

UNITED STATES

Included in this week’s shipments were deliveries of oral rehydration salts in response to the outbreak of dengue fever in Puerto Rico. The organization is monitoring the outbreak and will continue to respond as requested.

Direct Relief delivered 510 shipments containing over four tons of medications during the past seven days to organizations, including the following:

YEAR TO DATE

Since January 1, 2024, Direct Relief has delivered 7,666 shipments to 1,573 partner organizations in 54 U.S. states and territories and 67 countries.

These shipments contained 121.6 million defined daily doses of medication totaling 2.4 million lbs.

The post Supporting Street Medicine in Puerto Rico, Women’s Health in Malawi, and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

Residents of Slidell, Louisiana, a city about an hour from New Orleans, experienced impacts consistent with at least one EF-2 tornado, damaging hundreds of homes and businesses in the area and displacing dozens. Several temporary shelters have been activated in the area, and thousands experienced power outages last week. New Orleans and surrounding areas also experienced flash flooding from the storm, with some roadways becoming inundated with heavy rains.

People displaced from their homes after natural disasters, including tornadoes, can be at medical risk if they evacuate without prescription medications needed to manage their health. On Thursday, Direct Relief shipped requested personal care items to people residing in shelters.

Staff from Baptist Community Health Services reported at least 50 families in the community lost everything, and the organization requested personal care kits from Direct Relief. The kits contain items including soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, and more, and are created for people displaced from their homes during times of disaster. The kits were dispatched last week and have since been distributed to people at local shelters.

Direct Relief will continue assessing needs in the area and responding as requested.

The post Shipments Reach Community Rocked by Destructive Tornado in Louisiana appeared first on Direct Relief.

The Rutland County Free Clinic, located in Rutland, Vermont, serves uninsured adults living in the area, which was badly flooded. Some areas of the community are reachable only by helicopter, but clinic staff is working to provide outreach in accessible areas, and working to connect patients with needed medications, including those in local shelters.
“When the storms hit, it was like Irene all over again,” Clinic Manager Laurie Krupp told Direct Relief Thursday, referring to the 2011 tropical storm that inundated much of the U.S. Northeast, killing at least 40 people in 11 states, including Vermont. Krupp said needs are particularly high for people who are homeless and displaced from their living situations.

On Thursday, Direct Relief shipped an emergency health kit, filled with essential items often requested for medical needs during and after disasters occur. The clinic also requested five field medic packs, which contain first aid items needed to provide medical care outside of clinic walls.

Vitamins, medications for high blood pressure, steroids and other medications were also shipped to the clinic. Fifty personal care kits, filled with items like soap and shampoo, were also shipped for people who have been displaced from their homes.

Direct Relief will continue to respond to requests as needed.

The post Critical Medical Supplies Depart for Flooded Vermont Communities appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 6.1 million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, vitamins, cardiovascular medicines, antibiotics, and more.

Personal Care Packs En route to the U.S.-Mexico border

Among this week’s shipments were requested personal care items for displaced people living in shelters in El Paso, Texas. Centro San Vicente, a federally qualified health center providing health care in the region, requested the packs for people who have recently migrated to the United States. Seventy-five personal care packs containing soap, shampoo, dental hygiene products, and more were shipped. Direct Relief has supported Centro San Vicente with $2.3 million of medical aid since 2009, including essential medications for chronic disease management and personal care products for displaced people.

The center also received financial support from Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity to fund a mobile health clinic staffed in part with university students, serving homeless and uninsured individuals with primary, dental, pharmacy, and mental health care.

Mental Health medications reach hospital in Pakistan

Karwan-e-Hayat, Psychiatric Care & Rehabilitation Center in Karachi, Pakistan, recently received a shipment from Direct Relief containing mental health and psychiatric medications and 200 personal care kits filled with hygiene items and menstrual products. Hospital staff shared, “These medicines will be provided for the treatment of our outpatients, inpatients, and at our community outreach camps. Karwan-e-Hayat Institute for Mental Health Care has been providing quality treatment, mainly to the underserved…patients since 1983, through our two static sites and 19 community outreach locations.

[Our hospital] has a capacity of 110 patients and… we envision a society that understands and values good mental health practices, protects and treats people suffering from mental disorders with dignity, fairness and respect. We continue to remain indebted to Direct Relief for the continued assistance and support that has been extended to Karwa-e-Hayat and look forward to further strengthening the relationship between our two organizations.”

Tetanus and rabies vaccines reach northwest Syria

The IDA (Independent Doctor’s Association) in Syria recently received 3,400 doses of tetanus vaccine and 1,489 vials of rabies vaccine via refrigerated, cold chain shipment from Direct Relief after submitting a request for these drugs. They will be administered to health facilities around northwest Syria via the Syrian Immunization Group and WHO. The region still faces heightened health challenges post the February earthquakes, which killed over 4,500 people there and damaged 55 health facilities.

Direct Relief has worked with IDA in Syria since 2017, and has donated $11.4 million worth of health products, including wound care items, antibiotics, cardiovascular medications, vaccines and more.

Response to Flooding in Kherson, Ukraine, Continues

Hospitable Hut, an NGO based out of Odesa, Ukraine, continues to address urgent health needs after the flooding in Kherson, Ukraine, that began in early June after the Nova Kakhovka dam collapse. They recently received an emergency shipment from Direct Relief which contained family hygiene kits, water purification tablets, oral rehydration salts, vitamins and other medications.

Partnership coordinator Olexandr Cherepanov shared this feedback with Direct Relief: “These goods were really timely because the rural population doesn’t have proper medications and hygiene items and is severely restricted, in terms of finances, in their ability to purchase what they need for the survival.

We expect that this humanitarian crisis will last for many months because this population is totally dependent on the land and farming, but now it is impossible to make an income from these means due to the damage caused by the flood. Crops, animals, and food storages are gone, so the part of local population which cannot live their homes needs continuous support. This help [we provided] was literally direct relief for many vulnerable and sometimes desperate people.”

Direct Relief will continue to respond to requests for support from Hospitable Hut and other local response organizations.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 5.5 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Ukraine
• Bangladesh
• Liberia
• Tunisia
• St. Lucia
• Mexico
• Burundi

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 312 shipments containing more than six tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Catherine’s Health Center, Michigan
• St. Clare Medical Outreach, Maryland
• St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy, Ohio
• Free Medical Clinic of the Ozarks, Missouri
• West Virginia Health Right, West Virginia
• Washington State Department of Health, Washington
• Triangle Area Network, Texas
• St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, Texas
• Granville Vance Public Health Granville County Health Department, North Carolina
• Acacia Medical Mission, Texas
• Santa Clara County Better Health Pharmacy, California

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 9,676 shipments to 1,928 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 71 countries.

These shipments contained 283.9 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1 billion (wholesale), totaling 3.5 million lbs.

The post Medicines En Route to U.S.-Mexico Border, Pakistan, Syria and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 11.8 million defined daily doses of medication, including antibiotics, field medic packs, diabetes management medications and supplies, cancer therapies, personal care products, and more.

Turkey-Syria Earthquake Response

More than 111 tons of medical aid has been shipped to Turkey and Syria since the earthquake on Feb. 6. This week, 500 field medic packs arrived in Adana, Turkey.

Groups supported with medical aid include Turkey’s Ministry of Health, Ahbap, AKUT, Syrian American Medical Society, Independent Doctor’s Association, and Syrian Relief and Development.

In addition to continuous deployments of medical aid, Direct Relief is infusing cash support to local organizations scaling up to meet the needs of the moment. More than $2.5 million in financial aid has been committed.

Read more here.

Expanding Emergency Contraception Access in the U.S.

This week, a new effort was announced to expand emergency contraception to underserved women across the U.S.

Curae Pharma360 Inc., a mission-driven pharmaceutical company, announced a partnership with Direct Relief to provide Curae’s OTC emergency contraception product free of charge to clinics that serve the most vulnerable women in the U.S.

Direct Relief is committed to increasing access to family planning, ending period poverty, and equipping health providers to facilitate safer births. In partnership with Curae, Direct Relief will provide more than 120,000 emergency contraceptives for free to its participating clinics.

Read more here.

International Women’s day

In honor of International Women’s Day, volunteers and Direct Relief staff packed 2,000 women’s hygiene kits on March 8, 2023, in Direct Relief’s volunteer center. Each kit contains soap, shampoo, razors, lip balm, toothbrushes, fingernail clippers, period products and more for distribution globally.

Dr. Steve Arrowsmith, International Medical Advisor to Direct Relief, also spoke to staff and volunteers about his work focusing on women’s health and fistula repair. Dr. Arrowsmith has treated fistula throughout Africa and Asia for nearly 30 years and is an esteemed mentor and trainer for new fistula surgeons. The presentation can be seen below.

This week, Organon announced new funding and product donations for Direct Relief to help improve access and outcomes related to unplanned pregnancy in select communities in the U.S.

“Empowering women with broad contraceptive access and education is a fundamental driver of equity and helping women decide when – and if – they decide to start a family,” said Kevin Ali, CEO of Organon. “Organon is proud to launch ‘Her Plan is Her Power’ and work with others to focus our resources and target responses to help ensure all women and girls can plan their future.”

Read more here.

Material aid for Ukraine

Several NGOs focused on health in Ukraine received medical aid from Direct Relief over the past seven days, including Ukrainian Soul, which received critical antibiotics and other medications to treat infections.

Since Feb. 24, 2022, Direct Relief has provided medical aid to Ukraine weighing more than 2.6 million pounds, or 1,300 tons, with more on the way.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 11.8 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Ukraine
• Fiji
• Sudan
• Honduras
• Sri Lanka
• India
• Lebanon
• Pakistan
• Nepal
• Jordan

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 216 shipments containing 4.5 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Greater Killeen Free Clinic, Texas
• Community Health of East Tennessee, Tennessee
• Good News Clinics, Georgia
• Siloam Family Health Center, Tennessee
• HIV Alliance, Oregon
• Washington State Department of Health, Washington
• Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic, Michigan
• Free Medical Clinic of America, Tennessee
• Scotland Community Health Clinic, North Carolina
• Faith Family Medical Clinic, Tennessee

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 2,596 shipments to 1,080 healthcare providers in 52 U.S. states and territories and 52 countries.

These shipments contained 121.6 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $307.7 million (wholesale), totaling 1.5 million lbs.

In The News

International Women’s Day: Direct Relief prepares 2,000 hygiene kits for women around the world – KEYT: “A local humanitarian organization is celebrating International Women’s Day 2023. On Wednesday, March 8, Direct Relief will welcome world-renowned fistula surgeon Dr. Steve Arrowsmith.”

Startup Curae Pharma360 partners with Direct Relief to distribute free contraceptives to safety-net clinics – Fierce Healthcare: “Curae Pharma360 was founded a year ago as a for-profit subsidiary of Medicines360, a nonprofit pharma company focused on R&D, to commercialize its products. Now, its first product—OTC emergency contraceptive levonorgestrel—is being distributed in partnership with Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization. The partnership began at the start of the year, and the product is free to the safety-net clinics.”

Gamers Raise $2 Million For Turkish And Syrian Earthquake Relief – The Gamer: “The gaming community has been rallying together in support of those affected by the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, raising more than $2 million for disaster relief through participation in a popular program launched last week by Humble, the Turkiye-Syria Earthquake Relief Bundle. The proceeds will be going to the charities Direct Relief, International Medical Corps, and Save the Children.”

The post Medications for Ukraine, Fourteen Additional Countries Delivered This Week appeared first on Direct Relief.

Today’s announcement comes after $200,000 was issued earlier this week by Direct Relief—$100,000 to AKUT, the leading search and rescue team in Turkey with over 400 staff and volunteers, and $100,000 to the Syrian American Medical Society, which operates health facilities in northwest Syria treating patients impacted by the quake.

The increased funding commitment is possible because of the spontaneous outpouring of public support that has occurred this week, including over 10 thousand contributions from more than 70 countries and all 50 U.S. states through Direct Relief’s website and pledges made by several corporations.

“The massive scale of destruction, tragic loss of life, and enormous needs and ongoing threats that arose in the course of a few moments this week call for a response that is commensurate with the circumstances,” said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief’s President and CEO. “The actions of private people and businesses around the world to participate in the assistance effort help enormously and are inspiring to see.”

Direct Relief’s emergency response approach is two-pronged, with financial support to bolster immediate rescue efforts and medical material to backstop stressed health facilities in the region.

An infusion of more than nine tons of requested medical supplies, including 100 field medic packs for triage care, departed Direct Relief’s warehouse on February 8 for multiple groups in the region, including the Syrian American Medical Society, Syrian Relief and Development, and the Independent Doctor’s Association.

More medical aid shipments are scheduled to depart Direct Relief warehouses in the U.S. and the Netherlands and include antibiotics, wound care dressings, protective gear and other requested medical resources.

The region contains a large population of internally displaced people and refugees at particular risk of disaster and impacts from interrupted power, health services, food and water access, and limited shelter.

Health concerns in the immediate phase of the response are numerous. Crush injuries and wounds can lead to severe infections without proper care. Debris and airborne particulates can cause or worsen respiratory and ocular conditions. Contaminated water can lead to gastrointestinal illness and spark or exacerbate cholera outbreaks, like in Syria, where the disease has infected tens of thousands over the past year.

Cardiovascular, kidney and respiratory diseases and diabetes were among the primary causes of death in Turkey and Syria before the earthquake. In the coming days and weeks, acute medical needs are likely to include medications for chronic diseases, without which someone who relies on them can quickly find themselves in a crisis.

Besides infrastructure damage and population displacement preventing people from accessing medication, power outages often compromise the integrity of cold-chain drugs while simultaneously decreasing the ability to communicate with providers. Transportation restrictions and infrastructure damage will limit access to pharmacies and other medication refill channels.

In response, Direct Relief is working to secure and deliver large quantities of diabetes, cardiovascular, asthma and other chronic disease medications.

Direct Relief is modeling potential quantities needed on baseline disease rates, with examples of rates in Turkey and Syria before the earthquake: hypertension 30-40%, diabetes 14-15%, epilepsy 0.5-1.4%.

The organization will continue responding for as long as its services are needed, with support from people and businesses whose participation fuels Direct Relief’s humanitarian efforts.

The post Direct Relief Commits $3 Million for Turkey and Syria Earthquake Response appeared first on Direct Relief.

An atmospheric river moved through the state Wednesday, causing major flooding in areas that were already saturated by earlier heavy rains. Northern California communities were particularly impacted, with power outages, infrastructure damage, and even several levee breaches.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, and Direct Relief has been in contact with numerous state and county agencies about medical needs.

Multiple shipments departed Direct Relief’s warehouse on Thursday, including the shipment of 400 personal care kits for Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless in Northern California. The kits contain items like soap, shampoo, and dental hygiene supplies.

David Modersbach, grants manager with Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless, said that the organization is concerned with how people who are unhoused will manage during and after the storms.

“We’re really focused on supporting unsheltered people immediately through helping unsheltered, and other weather-affected vulnerable people, access emergency storm/warming centers, which are being operated by local cities, and after the end of the storm, we will be working to help people dry their belongings and safely resettle after emergency warming facilities are closed,” Modersbach said.

“Hygiene kits will be important, as well as other supplies that we are sourcing, such as tarps, tents, access to laundry and dryers.”

Shipments also departed for the San Francisco Free Clinic, as well as Primary Care at Home in Oakland.

Direct Relief also received requests from North East Medical Services, which has operations across the Bay Area, as well as other health facilities in California and will be filling those shipments in the coming days.

The post Medical Aid Dispatched to Storm-Drenched Communities in California appeared first on Direct Relief.

More than 120 people were killed, thousands displaced, and homes and infrastructure damaged amounting to an estimated $67 billion in losses. In the month since the storm, many health facilities across the state, including free and charitable clinics and health centers, are working to repair facilities that lost power and were damaged by high winds and water while meeting increased needs from patients that may have experienced losses themselves.

Direct Relief’s Response

Even before the storm made landfall, Direct Relief was in communication with health facilities, shipping out medical aid the week prior as health staff prepared to become first responders in their communities if needed.

Since Sept. 26, more than 247 emergency shipments were sent to Florida, valued at $2.8 million to 80 recipients, and requests for medical aid have departed Direct Relief’s warehouse for health facilities recovering from the storm at a rapid pace.

Before the storm, 12 hurricane preparedness modules, stocked with medical essentials commonly requested by medical providers after hurricanes, had been staged across the state. After the storm made landfall, four more were shipped from Direct Relief’s warehouse to meet growing medical needs.

Throughout the response, Direct Relief has coordinated with the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) and Florida Association of Community Health Centers (FACHC) and has been providing regular updates on clinic and health center status and needs.

What was requested after the storm?

Power loss and generator failure led to significant medication losses, and primary care providers worked to help patients maintain treatment for chronic health conditions.

Included in Direct Relief shipments were cold-chain medications, including replacement insulin and tetanus vaccines due to loss of power, chronic disease medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and mental health. Field medic packs and tents were also shipped to healthcare providers administering care outside of clinic walls.

Many organizations also requested personal care packs, which contain items like soap, shampoo and other hygiene items for people displaced by the storm.

Because power remained intermittent or out completely after the storm, Direct Relief also shipped a variety of power solutions, including solar generators, to several sites across Florida. Among them are MCR Health in Bradenton, which manages five campuses that see more than 140,000 patients annually. Three Sunkit solar generators were shipped to the organization to support power needs.

Even health facilities far away from the damage zone leaned in to assist, including Borinquen Health Care Center, Inc. in Miami, Florida, which was actively responding due to a high number of evacuees coming to Miami. Pancare based in Panama City, Florida, sent out a mobile medical unit and an operations RV to assist. Underground Free Clinic in Tampa, Florida, also assisted and has been connecting patients and the community with emergency services needed.

Looking Ahead

Post-Ian, many clinics lost access to power and water, and wind and water damage was widespread to facilities.

Clinics reported staffing was a challenge since some staff lost homes and/or sustained major damage. Direct Relief is focused on cash grants for clinic repair and replacing equipment that was lost or destroyed.

Many health centers and free clinics are using mobile units to provide care while their facilities undergo repairs, and have requested basic medical supplies for health services. Replacement of cold chain medications that were lost when power was out, resilient power options, both permanent and temporary, and the need for mental health care, including medication supplies, are also top priorities.

During this next phase of recovery, Direct Relief will be focused on targeted financial support to backfill losses among nonprofit health providers so they can meet the increased demand for services.

The post Nearly $3 Million in Medical Support Reaches Health Providers Recovering from Hurricane Ian appeared first on Direct Relief.

On Wednesday, Direct Relief staff delivered two pre-positioned kits filled with essential medicines, oxygen concentrators, insulin, field medic packs, hygiene kits, water purification tablets, and solar power chargers to health facilities across the island.

COSSMA health center in Cidra, located in central Puerto Rico, was one of the first recipients of the medications and insulin. Direct Relief staff met with Executive Director Norma Antomattei to discuss the needs of neighboring communities and how Direct Relief’s work since Hurricane Maria has enabled COSSMA’s emergency response to Hurricane Fiona.

Direct Relief also delivered essential medicines and field medic backpacks to Migrant Health Center in Mayagüez on the western coast of the island.

The team then traveled to the southern region to visit a community shelter in Salinas, where long-time partner MedCentro stationed a Direct Relief-donated mobile medical unit. In the community, a Direct Relief-donated Polaris off-road vehicle was stationed, providing medical and mental health assessments with the assistance of a doctor and social worker.

Direct Relief staff distributed personal care kits with water purification tablets and solar power chargers to households located in an area that received extensive amounts of damage due to flooding.

Emergency shipments will continue to Puerto Rico will continue this week, and will include portable generators for medical patients dependent on power for life-sustaining medical equipment.

The post Where Streets Became Rivers, Aid Arrives for Residents After Fiona appeared first on Direct Relief.

At Baptist Community Health Services (BCHS), a federally qualified health center in New Orleans, staff members are preparing to respond over the coming days and weeks to a deadly tornado that blew a path through the city on the night of March 22.

One death has been reported, and multiple people are said to have been injured in the storm. Widespread damage has been reported in multiple parishes. BCHS was lucky – the storm cut a path between two of its locations – but many patients were affected.

“It’s very rare in New Orleans for tornadoes to happen,” said Jeremy Simmons, the health center’s CEO. He’s lived in the city for eight years, and only seen two tornadoes thus far. However, he said, BCHS is well accustomed to responding to hurricanes and other tropical storms, and they have some sense of what to expect.

Staff are stocking up on bandages and tetanus vaccines. They’re directing patients whose houses have sustained damage to get assessments, have roofs tarped, and whatever else is needed to the appropriate resources. And they’re gearing up for what Simmons anticipates will be an increased need for chronic disease medications, Covid-19 testing, and mental health services.

They’re also preparing to distribute hygiene kits provided by Direct Relief. The organization is providing an initial shipment of 100 individual hygiene kits and 100 family hygiene kits, intended for those displaced or otherwise affected by the tornado.

In addition, Direct Relief is in contact with local partners to assess needs and offer assistance, and is preparing to provide additional support.

Simmons explained that many people will receive a hygiene kit distributed through a local church or other community organization. That’s also how he anticipates people will find the health center in the coming weeks, when they’re seeking a refill of a lost diabetes or hypertension medication, help from a mental health provider, or other health care services.

“In the wake of a disaster, counseling and psychiatry are so important – not today, but in the next few weeks,” Simmons said.

In addition, he’s concerned about displacement and crowding leading to an increase in Covid-19 cases. “We’re still in the middle of a pandemic on top of all of that.”

But he has reason to feel optimistic. Simmons said that, where a tropical storm can cause widespread damage and displacement, the tornado’s effects were relatively contained. “Because it’s a smaller area, the city can better absorb the impact,” he explained.

Still, the storm is enough of an unknown commodity, according to Simmons, that “I don’t know exactly what the impact’s going to look like. We’re just kind of getting started.”

Direct Relief will continue to monitor the crisis and will respond as needed. As always, the organization is concerned both with meeting short-term, immediate health care needs and with providing the resources needed for long-term recovery.

The post After a Massive Tornado, A New Orleans Health Center Prepares to Respond appeared first on Direct Relief.

A combination of existing relationships with disaster response agencies, safety net health clinics, and government agencies, as well as data analysis and pre-positioned supplies, have enabled Direct Relief to respond efficiently and precisely to requests after each incident.

For the latest news and response information, please read below:

TENNESSEE FLOODING

THE SITUATION

• A deluge of rainfall caused deadly flash floods in west Tennessee over the weekend.
• At least twenty-one people were killed as a result, and 40 remained missing as of Monday. Authorities reported that the majority of the fatalities were from the town of Waverly, located about 65 miles west of Nashville.
• Several counties were under emergency orders Monday, thousands in the region were without power and many connecting roads and bridges were destroyed or damaged.
• Several shelters in the area had also been activated for evacuees.

TENNESSEE FLOODING RESPONSE

• Direct Relief has been in communication with the Tennessee Primary Care Association, the Tennessee Red Cross, and the Tennessee Emergency Management Association to assess current medical needs and offer support.
• Offers are also being extended to health center partner facilities in the impacted areas and Direct Relief will respond as requested.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE

THE SITUATION

• A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on August 14 at 8:30 a.m. local time.
• The earthquake’s epicenter was 77 miles west of the capital Port-au-Prince, in the vicinity of Petit-Trou-de-Nippes.
• The death toll continues to climb, exceeding 2,000, with more than 12,000 injured, many in critical condition.
• Tropical Depression Grace, while less severe than feared, caused flooding in earthquake-affected communities including Jacmel, Les Cayes, and Marigot, further compounding the humanitarian situation.
• The flooding combined with a lack of shelter and access to clean water and sanitation drastically increases the risk of Covid-19, cholera, and other disease outbreaks.
• Initial rapid assessments indicate that the earthquake destroyed 61,000 homes and damaged another 76,000.
• The quake also affected 24 health facilities in the Sud, Nippes, and Grand’Anse departments, damaging the infrastructure of 20 while destroying four, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• The widespread need for medical care in the aftermath of the earthquake and widespread damage to health infrastructure is making healthcare services and medical supplies a critical focus of the overall emergency response.
• According to OCHA, in the three hardest-hit areas, the health system has been severely impaired as health needs grow, making humanitarian interventions in health a critical priority to ensure access to life-saving care and other vital services.
• Ongoing insecurity in the country, including gang control of the main roads leading to the affected areas, further complicates the response. Aid is currently being transported through gang areas in convoys, though security issues remain a significant impediment.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE

• More than 192 pallets-worth of medical aid from Direct Relief totaling $12.8M has arrived recently in Haiti, is en route, or is ready for deployment.
• Direct Relief is mobilizing a FedEx humanitarian emergency MD-11 aid charter of urgently needed medical supplies to Haiti (ETA 1 p.m. on August 26). The flight will hold roughly 140 pallets of antibiotics, wound care items, PPE, diagnostic supplies, medical-grade freezers, IV fluids, medical relief packs, and essential medications.
• Inbound emergency shipments will be stored at Direct Relief’s Haiti warehouse and distributed by Direct Relief’s Port au Prince-based staff, enabling healthcare providers to continue providing life-saving services to their communities and patients from areas with damaged or destroyed health infrastructure.
• Health facilities being supported include St. Boniface, Saint Luke’s, Albert Schweitzer, & Saint Damien’s Hospitals, the Haitian Ministry of Health, Gheskio, CORE Haiti, Project Medishare, PAHO, and others.
• Six pallets containing emergency backpacks, tents, and hygiene kits will arrive early next week in Les Cayes by private charter to the Colorado Haiti Project in Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, located near the earthquake’s epicenter.
• Emergency medical supplies, which Direct Relief prepositioned at Saint Damien’s Hospital in Port au Prince, are now deployed to Les Cayes to support medical relief efforts.
• Critical medicine and supplies from Direct Relief were routed to Port au Prince this week by PAHO from its Panama UN Humanitarian Response Depot.
• This week, seven pallets of PPE, medical relief backpacks, and emergency shelters arrived at St. Boniface from Direct Relief’s Puerto Rico distribution hub. Direct Relief also provided $250,000 in emergency operational cash support to the St. Boniface Hospital in Fond-des-Blancs.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

THE SITUATION

• The Dixie Fire is now the second-largest fire incident in California’s recorded history, having burned 730,600 acres in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Tehama, and Shasta counties.
• It is the largest single fire in California history.
• Started on July 13, 2021, it is currently at 35% containment
• Winds of up to 40 miles per hour have hindered containment, even as 6,000 firefighters are assigned to the fire.
• More than 650 homes and 1,200 structures have been destroyed.
• More than 8,000 residents are currently evacuated.
• Four firefighters were injured battling the fire in early August after a tree fell on them.
• According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more than 440 fires are actively burning in the US, with major blazes concentrated in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and California. More than 3.2 million acres have been burned this year.

CALIFORNIA FIRE RESPONSE

• Direct Relief sent an alert to more than 30 health centers, free clinics, and public health departments in Northern California to query if any would like to request aid.
• Direct Relief has committed an initial $1 million to help support safety net clinics and responders.
• Direct Relief has made the following materials available to partners in the impacted area: KN95 masks (1.3 million masks) and N95 masks (about 100,000 masks), 20 Wildfire Health Kits, insulin, oxygen concentrators (518 units), psychiatric/mental health medicines, hygiene kits, backpacks, inhalers, steroids, tetanus vaccine, personal care products.
• Direct Relief’s emergency-response activities also include synthesizing a broad range of public and private data sources to map and analyze wildfire risk, social vulnerability, and population movement in fire-affected areas.

NORTH CAROLINA FLOODING

THE SITUATION

• Tropical Storm Fred crossed through western North Carolina on Wednesday night, killing at least two people.
• Heavy rain caused severe flooding across many areas in the western part of the state.
• Twenty people are missing, leading to fears that the death toll could rise.
• Nearly 100 people needed rescue from historic flooding along the Pigeon River, which runs through the Appalachian Mountains, impacted several towns, including Cruso and Bethel, NC.
• Officials estimated that the damage had displaced about 500 families, and some lost their homes.
• Transportation throughout the area is challenging, with rockslides and flooding impacting roads, and around ten bridges have been damaged or destroyed.

NORTH CAROLINA FLOODING RESPONSE

• Direct Relief is in communication with the North Carolina Primary Care Association and is fulfilling requests for assistance.
• Five Direct Relief Hurricane Preparedness Packs are pre-positioned in coastal North Carolina.
• Direct Relief will maintain contact with health facilities in the impacted area and assist as needed.

TROPICAL STORM HENRI

THE SITUATION

• New England is bracing for its first hurricane landfall in 30 years this weekend as Tropical Storm Henri is expected to increase to hurricane strength before making landfall on Sunday or Monday somewhere in Southern New England.
• The last hurricane to make landfall in New England was Hurricane Bob as a category-two hurricane in 1991.
• Hurricane and storm surge watches are already in place for most of Long Island and southern New England, from New Haven, Conn. to Sagamore Beach, Mass. (including Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket).
• Dangerous storm surge conditions are possible beginning Sunday for the region, with flash, urban, and river flooding forecasts through Monday.
• Strong winds, heavy rain, and a storm surge of up to 5 feet above ground level are expected in southern New England, western Long Island and Cape Cod.
• The timing of landfall is also expected to coincide with an astronomical high tide increasing the likelihood of significant storm surge, coastal flooding and erosion.
• The funnel-like geography of Narragansett Bay, R.I., and Buzzards Bay, Mass., could also exacerbate the storm surge impact in these areas.
• Previous storms to hit the Northeast in recent years, including Sandy, Irene, and Lee, were tropical storm strength (or lower) when making landfall in the northeast, but all did considerable damage to coastal communities and resulted in significant damage to communities as far inland as Vermont and Upstate New York.

HENRI RESPONSE

• Direct Relief is monitoring the track and intensity of this hurricane as it approaches the Northeastern United States.
• Direct Relief is in communication with several healthcare providers in New York and New England to support if needed as the hurricane makes landfall and moves inland.

The post Direct Relief Emergency Situation Report (8.23.2021) appeared first on Direct Relief.

The fires, which have burned more than 27,700 acres mostly in Orange County, have not destroyed any homes, but have led to polluted air. On Monday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District rated air quality throughout Orange County as “hazardous.”

The polluted air has led to upticks in calls and requests for Covid-19 tests by patients at community health centers in the area, according to Izabella Sahakian, operations manager at Families Together, which runs two nonprofit health centers in Orange County. The clinic’s Tustin location is about seven miles away from the edge of the Silverado Fire.

“Patients are calling because they’re having a hard time breathing. They can’t tell if its anxiety, they’re getting shortness of breath, they’re getting a cough, they’re panicking. So, we’ve been doing a lot of telehealth visits with our providers,” Sahakian told Direct Relief.

“Covid complicates things by patients panicking because they can’t tell the difference when they’re getting shortness of breath: is it the forest fire or is it Covid or is it respiratory infection?” she said.

Sahakian said patients have also been calling to seek refills of medication, which the clinic is helping to fill. The staff is maintaining operations while several staff members are out of the office, as they have either been evacuated or are helping relatives look after their homes. “Everyone is helping answer phones,” Sahakian said. “We’re doing the best we can.”

Families Together is further supporting their community by setting up their mobile units at local evacuation shelters and homeless shelters to offer clinical services and flu shots as well as to distribute items such as children’s medications, over the counter medications, personal hygiene kits, pulse oximeters, and masks that were delivered by Direct Relief’s Emergency Response Team yesterday. The team also delivered a donated generator which will help power the mobile units.

Should the clinic lose power in the future, the generator can also help preserve vaccines and medications that need to be cooled as well as maintain computer access to medical records.

Though winds had blown the worst of the smoke away from the clinic and its neighborhood on Wednesday, leading to blue skies, small pieces of white ash continued to fall and the air quality was rated as “unhealthy for sensitive groups” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

On Tuesday, Direct Relief delivered requested supplies to Lestonnac Free Clinic in the City of Orange, which only serves uninsured patients. The clinic is based about eight miles away from the Silverado Fire. Included in the delivery was a remote video and audio interface that will allow the clinic’s 300 volunteer doctors to treat patients across the state.

“We’re able to provide all the different doctors you can imagine at a location that needs the help,” said Edward Gerber, executive director of the clinic. Gerber said he hoped to add this remote capability prior to the pandemic, due to long-standing challenges of getting specialists doctors to more remote parts of the state, especially during a crisis.

These latest round of wildfires mark a continuation of a year that has seen record-setting blazes across the state, which have killed at least 30 people. The fires this years have burned over 4 million acres destroyed over 10,000 structures, according to Cal Fire.

The post With Fires Raging Just Miles Away, Health Facilities Step Up for Patients appeared first on Direct Relief.

“It almost went from no warning to ‘The tornado is here, get into a safe spot now,’” said Lauren Smith, director of Charis Health Center in Mt. Juliet. “You only have minutes, and it’s just chaos.”

On the same night, another tornado – similarly fast-moving and destructive – tore across part of Nashville, killing 24.

The tornado happened fast, but recovery would be longer and slower. Two Mt. Juliet residents, a married couple, had been killed. People were trapped in their houses by trees and downed power lines – if their houses weren’t damaged themselves. Three schools were destroyed.

And as the days went by and people took stock of the damage, it quickly became clear that community members weren’t prepared for the impact on health – or the expense.

It’s “difficult to realize that when your power goes down, you don’t have your insulin,” Smith said. “If you’ve just lost your home…the last thing you want to do is spend another $100 on medication you just filled.”

Doctors’ offices were damaged or without power.

Coronavirus hadn’t yet hit Wilson County, where Mt. Juliet is located; it still hasn’t hit, although Amanda Cook, a nurse practitioner at Charis, said, “we’re slowly getting surrounded by Covid as the week progresses.”

But for people displaced from their homes and without their medication, coronavirus proved a problem.

“The ERs are completely overwhelmed…it’s not the best place to get a refill on hypertension medication,” Smith said. For the first time, a number of the county’s residents were asking “‘What are the other resources? Because I’ve never had to have other resources.’”

Charis Health Center serves a primarily uninsured and low-income population. But when the tornado swept through town, they coordinated with doctors’ offices to step in for patients with chronic conditions that needed to be managed.

They passed out hygiene kits at the local Wal-Mart, using what Smith described as their “very large” mobile unit as an operating base.

“Soap, shampoo, washcloths, basic things that you need to feel human after a disaster, especially if all your things have been scattered across the neighborhood or you’ve been displaced to a shelter,” was how Cook described the supplies.

When volunteers banded together to clear debris and other damage – “naturally we get cuts and scrapes and bruises while we do manual cleanup,” Smith said – Charis’s health care providers patched them up.

And they dealt with respiratory infections – and the panic that went with them.

“We have all these people with respiratory issues thinking it’s the coronavirus, when in reality, we were just hit by a tornado; there’s a lot of things in the air,” Smith said.

Coronavirus was an ever-present fear. At precisely the moment when large groups were being discouraged, community members were banding together to clean up. Just when social distancing was being widely promoted as a way to slow Covid-19’s spread, people displaced from their homes were crowding in with friends and relatives.

People with chronic conditions were confusing their symptoms with coronavirus. Those with a flu or cold were concerned as well. Some just needed clearance before they could return to work.

Cook seemed confident that the virus would make its way into the community. “It could change today or tomorrow,” she said. “It’s just going to spread like anything would.”

But people feel called to help, Smith said. “The tone in our town is ‘All hands on deck,’” she explained. “Anytime there’s any need, anyone’s willing to come in…even if it means giving you the shirt off their back.”

The post First a Tornado. Then Coronavirus Fears. This Tennessee Health Center is Picking Up the Pieces. appeared first on Direct Relief.

They’re “the ones camping on the roads and the ones camping under olive trees [who] are using blankets to create a tent – not even plastic sheets,” said Dr. Hamadeh, president of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).

By contrast, many of those who arrived earlier in the region have put concrete blocks around themselves, or added tin or plastic roofs to ad hoc structures.

More than 900,000 people – perhaps as many as 1 million – have poured into the region since December 1, fleeing a new outbreak of conflict as the Syrian government attempts to retake the Idlib governate. Approximately 80% are women and children.

Numerous humanitarian groups, including SAMS, are on the ground providing help to partners in the area. Nonetheless, there aren’t enough healthcare facilities – or doctors, or medicines – to serve the new arrivals, many of them needing emergency care, medication for chronic disease, a safe place to deliver babies, and treatment for trauma and other mental health issues related to the conflict.

Pre-conflict, Syria had a relatively strong health system and had seen significant improvements in figures like life expectancy and infant and maternal mortality. Children were normally vaccinated.

Idlib and nearby Aleppo, in Syria’s northwest, had a combined 550 health facilities, according to Dr. Alaa Abou Zeid, a WHO emergency health coordinator for the region.

Conflict cut that number in half. “The health system in the northwest was already decimated in the period before the last escalation of conflict,” Dr. Abou Zeid said.

Then, since December 1, an additional 74 health facilities were forced to shut or suspend services. Dr. Abou Zeid estimates that 11,000 patients with conflict-related injuries have been unable to receive urgently needed care.

A major shift

Idlib had already experienced a major population shift before the most recent, cataclysmic development in the years-long conflict.

Before the fighting started, it had had a population of about 1.5 million. During the conflict, even before the recent arrival of hundreds of thousands, its population more than doubled, reaching somewhere between 3 and 4 million, according to WHO spokesperson Hedinn Halldorsson.

The sheer number of newly displaced people “makes it different and more dire as well,” he said. “it puts a lot of pressures on the already strained health services.”

Some health facilities have been attacked – part of a long-running offensive strategy that has drawn international condemnation. Others have fallen into the hands of military forces. Still others have closed as their patient population has fled, leaving whole cities empty.

An ever-changing crisis

In addition, said Karl Blanchet, a professor and co-director of the Health in Humanitarian Crises Center at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, it’s hard to offer people reliable information about what’s open and where. A combination of official and informal networks are used to tell people which health facilities are open and safe.

“If you are too transparent, then [the health facilities] become targets,” he said. “It’s happening in a very ad hoc manner.”

That danger, too, means that people are less likely to seek medical care. “If people know that health facilities do get attacked, it definitely doesn’t encourage them to seek health care,” Blanchet said.

Complicating matters, said Halldorsson, is the fact that, for many of the displaced, this isn’t the first time they’re fleeing. “These are people who have been displaced multiple times, so the more you are displaced the more depleted your resources are,” he said.

First and foremost, what’s needed is shelter and basic supplies. Large numbers of the displaced are sleeping in the open in temperatures that have improved but are still frigid at night.

“We are seeing a major spike in children’s deaths due to hypothermia and cold exposure,” said Dr. Hamadeh, citing the example of a father who carried his toddler 5 kilometers to the nearest hospital in freezing conditions, only to find out she had already died.

The ever-changing situation also makes it difficult to know exactly what’s needed on the ground. “It’s highly complex there to have a sense of where to operate and what to do. The needs are huge,” Blanchet said.

“Normal life”

However, at least one thing is clear: “The current health needs are unprecedented,” said Dr. Abou Zaid.

Many have been injured by conflict, making emergency care a priority. “In emergency care, you’ve got one crucial variable: It’s time. It’s about being fast,” Blanchet explained. “Many of [the displaced] won’t get access to emergency care in time. The scale is too large.”

Dr. Abou Zaid also expressed concern about the “high presence of non-communicable diseases,” such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, that are going untreated. The rough conditions are increasing the risk of respiratory infections, especially for children and the elderly.

And Dr. Abou Zaid said infectious diseases – like measles – are a risk for children, many of whom have gone without vaccinations. The UN has warned of the potential for an outbreak of a disease like the measles.

Not everyone agrees about the severity of the situation. Debarati Guha-Sapir is the director of the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters and a professor at Brussels’s University of Louvain School of Public Health. “Syrians are a population that have had a good and high standard of health status,” she said. “There are still people with a very decent level of health conditions and vaccination coverage.”

While Syria’s conflict has certainly created greatly increased emergency health needs and other needs, she said, “it’s more of an acute problem.”

The conflict itself, she said, is a greater threat to Syrians – especially children, whom Dr. Guha-Sapir said are disproportionately likely to be killed by bombings – than the public health situation.

Emergency care is greatly needed, she explained, but she was less concerned about issues like infectious disease outbreaks than she was about other humanitarian crises, like that of South Sudan, in which many fled at “absolutely desperate levels of survival.” For example, “if there were to be a major measles outbreak in Syria, I would be very much surprised. Even in the northwest,” she said.

But Blanchet stressed the importance of addressing all different facets of health care. “Health is actually very comprehensive, so if you miss one aspect, it’s going to have some reflecting effect,” he said.

Failing to prevent violence and trauma will create a strain on mental health services, for example. Leaving chronic conditions untreated creates emergencies. When emergency care can’t be provided, infections become more common.

And sources stressed the extraordinary mental health needs of the displaced, many of whom have lost family members and experienced conflict firsthand. Some mental health providers are currently practicing in northwestern Syria, but the demand far outweighs the available treatment.

“There are huge mental health issues that need to be addressed today and that will need to be addressed in the future,” Halldorsson said.

“Mental health is always the last one to be provided. It’s never been on the top of the agenda,” Blanchet said, explaining that while there’s plenty of awareness around the issue, it’s simply too dangerous to send in additional mental health providers.

Dr. Hamadeh recalls meeting a nine-year-old boy, injured from shrapnel, in an Idlib hospital, hours after losing five of his siblings. The boy, he said, seemed completely without emotion.

“I just realized that these guys are totally numb. Loss has become normal life,” he said. “These are all stories that happen to them every day.”

Direct Relief has maintained a strong presence in the region since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, providing 53 shipments and over $118 million in donations, including equipping people in displacement camps with tents and basic supplies. In response to recent developments in the conflict, the organization is preparing to ship a range of medicines, supplies, and hygiene items this week. 

The post Syria’s Newly Displaced Strain a Health System Already in Crisis appeared first on Direct Relief.

For agricultural workers⁠—the region’s economic backbone—the fire poses more ominous questions about the future. These workers rely on the land for work. If this land is destroyed, so is their livelihood.

These kinds of uncertainties have heightened anxiety amongst evacuees, causing physical health problems to emerge. Headaches, heart palpitations, and high blood pressure are just some of the symptoms medical staff are seeing in their patients.

On this episode of our podcast, we speak with Pedro Toledo of the Petaluma Health Center, whose staff is combating anxiety-induced health problems through mental health services. The health center has staffed multiple shelters across the city with behavioral health providers who are helping evacuees work through their stress.

The post Stress Headaches and Fluttering Heartbeats. The Kincade Fire is Eroding Mental Health. appeared first on Direct Relief.