At the request of AltaMed Health Services, a community health center whose staffmembers were providing medical care to evacuees at the convention center, Direct Relief pharmacist Pacience Edwards was delivering an emergency health kit — a large-scale supply of medications and materials commonly requested during wildfires and other disasters. 
 
Police officers waved Edwards through the barricade outside the convention center, where the contents of the kit were put to instant, urgent use. A patient with severe respiratory symptoms had been waiting for a nebulizer — a machine that delivers medication directly to the lungs — and others urgently needed albuterol inhalers. One patient who seemed on the verge of a diabetic crisis needed their blood sugar tested immediately — but the glucometer the medical team already had with them wasn’t working. 
 
“We ripped open the packaging on the glucometer [from the emergency health kit] to make sure they could use it right away,” Edwards recalled.  
 
Patients whose hypertension was made worse by the stress of the fires needed medication to reduce their blood pressure. Healthcare providers working with medically vulnerable patients in close quarters were concerned about recent outbreaks of norovirus and RSV, both infectious diseases that can spread quickly in emergency shelters. Ambulances kept arriving to pick up patients in severe distress. 
 
Direct Relief’s emergency health kits, which can treat about 100 patients affected by a disaster, include equipment and prescription medications for chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, respiratory equipment and medications, antibiotics, protective equipment, wound care, hygiene items, and other essential medicines and supplies. 
 
“We had what they needed and they used it immediately,” said Alycia Clark, Direct Relief’s chief pharmacy officer. Clark had been at the Pasadena Convention Center for several hours already to assess needs with the medical teams who’d been working through the night. 
 
Edwards said the level of urgent need was high. She’d been expecting to see the minor wounds and routine medical issues common in emergency shelters. But instead, nurses triaged patients on cots, and ambulances kept arriving to pick up the patients in need of hospital care. 
 
“The medical team was providing a much higher level of care,” she said. And while over-the-counter medications were easier to come by, medical providers told Clark and Edwards that prescription treatments like chronic disease and respiratory medicines were urgently needed. 
 
As the constellation of wildfires across Southern California continues to displace more than 100,000 people, the area’s community health centers, free clinics, and other nonprofit healthcare organizations are coordinating to provide in-the-field care. AltaMed providers were working at the shelter even as the health center lost a facility to the flames and evacuated staff in the path of danger. 
 
“They do not have the resources they usually do,” Edwards said. The level of care she saw physicians and nurses providing in an open shelter space “was just really impressive.”  
 
In response to requests from partners across Los Angeles County, Direct Relief has provided N95 masks, hygiene kits, emergency medical packs, reentry kits, wildfire kits, and other support to healthcare organizations working on the ground. Direct Relief staff have been working in the ground in Los Angeles to distribute N95 masks at community sites like the Koreatown YMCA Center for Community Well-being and the Anderson Munger Family YMCA, deliver requested supplies to community health centers and other partners, and assess and prepare for the next stage of medical need. 
 
“We’ll continue to support as long as needed,” Clark said. 

The post Critical Medicines Bolster Urgent Care in the Halls of an Evacuation Shelter  appeared first on Direct Relief.

Direct Relief’s Response to California Wildfires

Direct Relief is headquartered approximately 45 miles north of the fire, and is deploying staff and resources to assist residents, emergency responders, and firefighters battling the blaze. Direct Relief is in the process of delivering 3M-donated N95 respirators to help people at risk from wildfire smoke, essential hygeine items for evacuees in shelters, and emergency medical supplies to support first responders and healthcare professionals in the affected area.

Direct Relief is in frequent contact with state and local organizations to gauge needs and offer support, including to the Ventura County Office of Emergency Services, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, California Primary Care Association, and California Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. Offers have also been made to local safety clinics and partners to provide assistance as needs arise, and the organization stands ready to make more masks available to residents should air quality deteriorate further.

Support for Healthcare Facilities in Emergencies

As part of Direct Relief’s commitment to enhancing resilience in the face of natural disasters, the organization’s Power for Health initiative has equipped healthcare facilities across California with solar and battery storage systems. This initiative ensures that health centers and free clinics can continue operating during power outages, allowing them to provide uninterrupted care to vulnerable populations during wildfire events and other emergencies. Direct Relief’s recent projects include installations at community health centers in Santa Maria and Simi Valley, strengthening critical healthcare infrastructure when it is most needed.

Wildfire Response Expertise

Direct Relief has a long history of responding to wildfires in California, from the devastating Camp Fire to recent fires across the state. Through partnerships with local agencies and healthcare facilities, the organization has provided personal protective equipment, medical supplies, and financial support to aid communities impacted by wildfires. Direct Relief remains ready to respond to the ongoing Mountain Fire and to continue supporting impacted communities.

The post Direct Relief Responding as Mountain Fire Explodes in Ventura County, Calif., 0% Contained appeared first on Direct Relief.

Via telemedicine calls, patients were describing asthma or COPD symptoms worsened by air quality. “We have a lot of respiratory disease up on the mountain,” said Denise Highfill, Shingletown’s chief operating officer.

Behavioral health providers from the health center were calling patients — some of them still recovering from the Camp and Dixie Fires, which destroyed whole communities in this mountainous part of northern California — to check in and talk through anxiety.

Staff members helped patients access inhalers and respiratory medicines, and prepared to distribute hygiene kits to people displaced by what is thus far the fourth-largest blaze in California history.

The Park Fire, which began more than a week ago, has been helped along by high temperatures and strong winds, destroying hundreds of structures and displacing thousands of people across Butte, Tehama, and Shasta County, despite a massive containment effort.

In 2018, the Camp Fire became the deadliest wildfire in California history, killing 86 people — many of them older adults — and destroying the Butte County town of Paradise. The blaze contaminated water and air quality, left many struggling to find housing and rebuild their lives, and increased or worsened substance use disorders, mental health concerns, and chronic disease in the area. Repeated emergencies — including the Thompson Fire in Butte County earlier this year — have threatened the area.

Now, safety net providers and public agencies, informed by past experience, are working to meet the most urgent health needs — while keeping an eye on the future.

Community Response

Because Shingletown Medical Center couldn’t operate its emergency food pantry and resource center — and local groups working to address food insecurity couldn’t reach patients either — Highfill was worried about patients going without food as well.

Home visits are an essential part of Shingletown’s medical services — providers offer everything from chronic disease management to wound care for ulcers — but getting to patients with mobility problems wasn’t possible amid the fire.

Highfill explained that many of their patients were under evacuations or warnings, but some had chosen to stay, unwilling to leave their animals behind or undergo another displacement. “Our community is a very, very rural, self-sufficient community. We also have a lot of elders,” she said.

Shingletown was working with local agencies to find a safe place “to be able to actually see and touch our patients,” Highland said. She was worried about patients who weren’t getting wound care.

At Ampla Health, a health center network with 20 Northern California locations, staff were focused on making sure patients were receiving needed medical care. Rocio Valdez, director of communications at Ampla, explained that people displaced by emergencies frequently lose access to their medications — along with their insurance paperwork and identification. Getting patients reconnected to health services, and transporting them to appointments and pharmacies, were priorities during an emergency.

Direct Relief has supplied two of Ampla’s facilities with resilient, solar-powered systems via the organization’s Power for Health initiative. (Shingletown Medical Center is also a Power for Health partner.) John Fleming, Ampla’s director of planning and development, explained that public safety power shutoffs, as well as the wildfire risk, have repeatedly affected their clinics. But all their locations were currently operating at full capacity and seeing patients affected by the Park Fire, he said.

Staff were also prepared to dispense hygiene kits, provided by Direct Relief, at community events.

The Butte County Public Health Department had set up a shelter last week at a church in the city of Chico, which housed about 200 people at one point. There, nurses focused on triage. People who’d inhaled smoke needed respiratory treatments. Some had left home without wheelchairs or CPAP machines, a number had wounds, and others needed transportation to a hospital or other medical setting, said Monica Soderstrom, a community health division director.

In addition, public health workers were monitoring to prevent the spread of infectious disease — displacement during the Camp Fire had led to an outbreak of norovirus — and working to connect people with their home care agencies or primary care providers.

Behavioral health needs were also widespread, responders noted. Butte County has a dedicated behavioral health department that was providing support to affected and displaced residents.

Soderstrom explained that being prepared to respond to emergencies quickly and effectively — without sacrificing ongoing programs — was key. “We’re making sure that every staff member understands that they are a disaster service provider,” she said. Simulations and trainings for shelter settings and other emergency measures are key to their work.

“Unfortunately…we get a lot of practice,” Soderstrom said.

A Long-Term Outlook

Direct Relief has focused on increasing resilience and meeting health care needs in this area of California since the days of the Camp Fire, including providing support for a temperature-controlled warehouse for storing medicines and supplies that Butte County Public Health staff said was integral to their response work.

To help meet emergency health needs during the Park Fire, Direct Relief is providing emergency medical backpacks, hygiene kits, replenishment supplies, a wildfire kits, and requested medicines to responding organizations.

Highfill, at Shingletown Medical Center, was anxious to return to home visits and in-person care. In particular, she said, the emergency medical backpacks, which are designed to treat a variety of chronic and acute conditions, are ideal for home visits.

Shingletown was also preparing to meet increased needs for mental health services and substance use disorder treatments. The health center recently hired a new psychiatrist. But Highfill explained that it’s hard to find specialty care providers in the area, and residents rely on local behavioral health providers for a range of needs.

Fleming said that Ampla was also working to increase its behavioral health capacity, with a Chico clinic primarily focused on behavioral health services. For patients who lost property or were in harm’s way, or who are reminded of past disasters and evacuations, post-traumatic stress is a particular concern.

Butte County Public Health is preparing for the aftermath, arranging for debris removal and water system testing, dispensing safety information for residents, and working with local partners.

Community ties are strong in this area, Soderstrom and Highfill said. Health care providers have lost homes in past events, and some have been subject to evacuation orders during the Park Fire.

“We have a small enough county that, for everyone, this is our home,” Soderstrom explained.

Highfill described a nurse storing emergency medical supplies in her home and staff members showing up to implement emergency plans despite being displaced themselves.

“It’s their community, it’s the people they go to church with and see in the grocery store,” she said. “That community wouldn’t have care…if we weren’t there.”

In response to the Park Fire, Direct Relief is providing Shingletown Medical Center with emergency medical backpacks, hygiene kits, prescription medicines and supplies, and a wildfire kits. Ampla Health will use Direct Relief-supplied emergency medical backpacks and distribute hygiene kits as part of their response work. To support Butte County Public Health Department, Direct Relief provided disinfectant supplies for shelter use and replenished emergency medical pack contents.

The organization has also supported local health care resilience through its Power for Health initiative, which outfits community health care facilities with resilient solar power systems, a temperature-controlled warehouse used to store medical supplies, grant funding, and a wide range of medicines and supplies.

The post The Park Fire Creates Urgent Health Needs, And Long-Term Threats appeared first on Direct Relief.

In response to the wildfire, Direct Relief has dispatched an emergency wildfire health kit shipment, which includes respiratory medications, eye drops, chronic disease medications, first aid supplies, and PPE, including N-95 masks to protect against inhalation of fine particulate matter from ash and smoke. The kit will be delivered to Health Center Partners, the regional primary care association for Riverside County to begin assisting patients in impacted areas.

Beyond the immediate danger posed to nearby communities, wildfires can exacerbate chronic health issues such as asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems. For those with such conditions, fires deal a harsh mix of smoke, dust, and other particulates in the air. An air quality advisory has been issued in areas across Southern California through Thursday evening as a result of the Highland fire.

Direct Relief is based in California and responds to fires each year, maintaining an inventory of fire-related items – N-95 particulate masks, inhalers, nebulizers, and personal care items – which are available to healthcare centers and clinics upon their request.

Direct Relief will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and provide updates as they become available.

The post As Highland Fire Grows in Southern California, Direct Relief Ships Requested Medicines, Supplies appeared first on Direct Relief.

Thousands remain displaced from their homes on the island, and though the fires are moving towards full containment, health risks remain, beyond burns and injuries from the initial blaze.

Health providers on the island are working to keep people out of medical crisis and connected with medications needed to manage chronic diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure.

A stream of medical aid aimed at those needs has been pulsed out of Direct Relief’s warehouse since last week, and Direct Relief’s Director of Pharmacy and Clinical Affairs Alycia Clark has been coordinating with local medical providers to understand their needs and quickly ship them requested medications.

Disasters that displace people from their homes often interrupt access to medications needed to manage their health, and Clark said that the primary requests from health providers continue to be respiratory medications, insulin, and antibiotics.

“The goal is to complement the work of providers and officials on the ground by providing essential medications and supplies that may be in short supply due to the nature of the disaster, and to prevent emergency room visits when services are overwhelmed, and transportation barriers may be present,” Clark said.

In response to the devastating fires in Maui, Clark said that Direct Relief is sending products to address the main health issues that commonly arise during fires and mass evacuations. Those include inhalers, nebulizer solutions, and masks for respiratory irritation and to control asthma. Irrigation solutions and antibiotics for dermal and ophthalmic injuries, analgesics for pain from minor injuries and headaches are also included, as well as wound care items for cuts, sprains, and strains, and personal care items, including soap and toothpaste for displaced individuals in shelters.

Clark said that her team has also been in contact with various associations about specific medical needs, including the American Society of Nephrology, Hawai’ian Medical Association, Society of Critical Care Medicine, as well as individual providers and heads of hospitals, to assess what patients may be needing.

Certain types of insulin are temperature-sensitive and require consistent temperatures while in transit, and Direct Relief shipped requested amounts of insulin this week to Malama I Ke Ola Health Center (Community Clinic of Maui) via cold shippers. The clinic also received inhalers, diabetes medications, cardiovascular treatments, anti-infectives, and other requested medications.

Since the fires broke out, Direct Relief has sent over 2,500 lbs. of specifically requested medicines and supplies to address health concerns commonly arising during fires and mass evacuations. These shipments support the relief efforts of four organizations:

• Community Clinic of Maui (Malama I Ke Ola Health Center)
• Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai’i
• Maui Search and Rescue
• Hawai’i Island Community Health Center

In addition to medical support, Direct Relief is immediately disbursing $200,000 into four $50,000 grants to help fund operations by local medical responders.

• Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai’i
• Malama I Ke Ola Health Center (Community Clinic of Maui)
• Maui Search and Rescue
• Hui No Ke Ola Pono (Native Hawai’ian Health Center)

The organization will continue responding to needs throughout the immediate, near-term and long-term phases of the recovery.

The post With the Fires Contained in Many Areas, Medical Needs Remain in Maui appeared first on Direct Relief.

The organization is currently distributing medicines and medical supplies to sites across the island, including shelters, mobile medical clinics, and first responders.

Direct Relief is immediately disbursing $200,000 into four $50,000 grants to help fund operations by local medical responders.

• Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai’i
• Malama I Ke Ola Health Center (Community Clinic of Maui)
• Maui Search and Rescue
• Hui No Ke Ola Pono (Native Hawai’ian Health Center)

In a Sunday staff meeting on the Maui response, Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe advised team members to expect the Maui crisis to follow a pattern familiar from similar disasters, including the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, Calif.

Amid the initial chaos, Direct Relief is focused on getting immediate medical aid and targeted financial support into the hands of health care providers on the ground. Because these disasters have years-long impacts, “the rule we use is, who is going to be there in five years?” Direct Relief starts with its long-term local partners, many of them community health centers.

While federal and state aid is needed for clearing public areas and rebuilding infrastructure, it arrives slowly. Immediate needs are best met by fast-moving non-profits, Tighe said.

Immediate risks include chronic disease going unmanaged and turning into health crises, and loss of access to dialysis materials and insulin. In the longer term, experience shows that local health facilities can struggle to maintain services if many of their medical staff have been forced to relocate after losing their homes. Around 2,200 structures – approximately 86% of them residential – were destroyed or damaged in western Maui, Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green told CNN Saturday.

Direct Relief has been in contact with all 19 of its pre-existing healthcare partners across Hawai’i, has shared currently available inventory, and received their current assessments and perspectives.

The first three deliveries sent Wednesday were used immediately by medical personnel who deployed to shelters to provide services. These deliveries were in response to a request from the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai’i, which Direct Relief has been supporting through its Health Equity Fund.

The materials included a pre-packed wildfire kit and emergency medical packs (designed for paramedics and other health professionals to provide services in the field), requested over-the-counter pain relief and other basics, including hygiene items.

Direct Relief has been in close contact with individual clinics on Maui, Hawai’i state health and emergency response officials, with FEMA and other federal agencies, and with the professional associations that Direct Relief works with routinely, including the Society for Critical Care Medicine. Parallel efforts have been ongoing with healthcare company supporters and other corporate representatives who have sought information about how they might help.

Emergency Funding for Response Efforts

Direct Relief has also announced an initial cash commitment of $500,000 to aid affected communities and facilitate the timely and sustained delivery of urgently needed medical supplies to clinics, shelters, and state and local emergency response agencies with which it is working.

The wildfires in Lahaina – the deadliest disaster in Hawai’ian history – have resulted in the loss of over 2,000 structures and claimed the lives of more than 80 individuals. With thousands seeking refuge in shelters across Maui and Honolulu, Direct Relief is actively addressing the pressing medical needs of these evacuees and aiding search and rescue operations.

The organization’s initial deliveries of emergency medical essentials were deployed in shelters in Maui earlier this week, and Direct Relief staff today are delivering additional requested medical essentials to Maui.

Today’s shipment includes numerous wildfire kits. These kits, developed in consultation with medical and emergency-response experts, aim to prevent emergency room visits during significant wildfire events. They contain vital medications including inhalers, nebulizer solutions, irrigation solutions, antibiotics, analgesics, wound care products, and chronic disease medications.

Beyond the immediate risks of burns, wildfires can exacerbate pre-existing health issues. Airborne particulates can worsen respiratory or cardiovascular problems, even sending those affected to the emergency room, and people with chronic conditions can face acute medical crises if they evacuate without their medications.

At the request of Maui Search and Rescue, Direct Relief is also dispatching 20 emergency medical backpacks to bolster on-the-ground relief efforts.

Based on years of disaster response experience, the packs are tailored for paramedics and health professionals to use in the field and are the standard for the State of California’s Medical Reserve Corps.

Direct Relief has also made available its medical inventory, valued at over $300 million wholesale, to healthcare providers across Hawai’i.

How Direct Relief Responds to Disasters

Direct Relief’s approach to disasters relies on long-standing collaborations with vetted local groups serving vulnerable communities. Their expertise, community trust, and existing protocols provide a foundation for the organization’s activities.

Over the past ten years, Direct Relief has provided local Hawai’ian organizations with 15.6 tons of medical resources totaling 415,305 defined daily doses of medicine, as well as $2.14 million in grant funding.
With a history of responding to wildfires across the United States, Direct Relief also is leveraging its expertise and technological resources for this crisis.

The organization’s data-driven tools, such as wildfire mapping applications and the CrisisReady initiative in partnership with Harvard, offer insights into wildfire risks and social vulnerability. Such tools inform emergency response officials and assist Direct Relief in its targeted efforts.

The post Maui Wildfire Response: Medical Aid for Shelters, Mobile Clinics and First Responders appeared first on Direct Relief.

The wildfires in Lahaina – the deadliest disaster in Hawaii’s history – have resulted in the loss of over 2,000 structures and claimed the lives of more than 80 individuals. With thousands seeking refuge in shelters across Maui and Honolulu, Direct Relief is actively addressing the pressing medical needs of these evacuees and aiding search and rescue operations.

The organization’s initial deliveries of emergency medical essentials were deployed in shelters in Maui earlier this week, and Direct Relief staff today are delivering additional requested medical essentials to Maui via ROAM air.

Today’s shipment includes numerous wildfire kits. These kits, developed in consultation with medical and emergency-response experts, aim to prevent emergency room visits during significant wildfire events. They contain vital medications, including inhalers, nebulizer solutions, irrigation solutions, antibiotics, analgesics, wound care products, and chronic disease medications.

Beyond the immediate risks of burns, wildfires can exacerbate pre-existing health issues. Airborne particulates can worsen respiratory or cardiovascular problems, even sending those affected to the emergency room, and people with chronic conditions can face acute medical crises if they evacuate without their medications.

At the request of Maui Search and Rescue, Direct Relief is also dispatching 20 emergency medical backpacks to bolster on-the-ground relief efforts.

Based on years of disaster response experience, the packs are tailored for paramedics and health professionals to use in the field and are the standard for the State of California’s Medical Reserve Corps.

Today’s delivery follows a series of emergency shipments deployed by Direct Relief this week, including requested medical resources that arrived with the local organization Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai’i.

The supplies were put to immediate use by medical personnel in Maui shelters and via a mobile medical unit caring for pregnant and post-partum individuals, newborns, and their families.

Direct Relief has also made available its medical inventory, valued at over $300 million wholesale, to healthcare providers across Hawaii.

How Direct Relief Responds to Disasters

Direct Relief’s approach to disasters relies on long-standing collaborations with vetted local groups serving vulnerable communities. Their expertise, community trust, and existing protocols provide a foundation for the organization’s activities.

Over the past ten years, Direct Relief has provided local Hawaiian organizations with 15.6 tons of medical resources totaling 415,305 defined daily doses, as well as $2.14 million in grant funding.

With a history of responding to wildfires across the US, Direct Relief also is leveraging its expertise and technological resources for this crisis.

The organization’s data-driven tools, such as wildfire mapping applications and the CrisisReady initiative in partnership with Harvard, offer insights into wildfire risks and social vulnerability. Such tools inform emergency response officials and assist Direct Relief in its targeted efforts.

Direct Relief will continue to respond as the situation unfolds, coordinating with local clinics, Hawaii state health and emergency response officials, FEMA, and associations like the Society for Critical Care Medicine.

The post Direct Relief Commits Initial $500,000 for Maui Fire Response, Continues Emergency Medical Deliveries appeared first on Direct Relief.

More than 1,000 people were recorded in shelters across Maui and Honolulu on Thursday, and Direct Relief is focused on meeting immediate medical needs, including those of evacuated people staying in shelters, and supporting search and rescue efforts.

The organization is preparing an air support flight for Maui, with a planned departure from Los Angeles on Saturday morning. The flight will contain wildfire response kits, emergency medical backpacks, N-95 masks and more.

Included in upcoming shipments are 20 emergency medical backpacks for Maui Search and Rescue, which has requested the packs to assist volunteer search and rescue teams working to locate those still missing from fires.

The organization has also committed $500,000 in financial support for emergency response and recovery needs.

Direct Relief has been in contact with health providers, including those providing care at the War Memorial Complex in Lahaina, where people have sought shelter. Pharmacists operating in the shelter have reported a need for prescription medications, including albuterol inhalers and other requests for respiratory medications. Antibiotics, skin creams, and other medications were requested and fulfilled Friday.

Direct Relief is also communicating with the Society of Critical Care Medicine, a group supporting high-quality critical care with members in 85 countries. SCCM is in contact with health facilities providing trauma care on the Hawai’ian Islands about medical needs.

Earlier this week, local organization Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai’i, received medical aid from Direct Relief to support medical care in Maui shelters and community outreach.

The organization has a mobile unit that has been deployed to provide supportive care to those who are pregnant and post-partum, newborns, and their families.

The post Medical Supplies for Maui Search and Rescue, Shelter Care Prepped for Departure appeared first on Direct Relief.

On Wednesday, emergency shipments containing emergency medical backpacks for triage care departed for Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island. Respiratory medications, N-95 masks, and chronic disease management medications also departed from Direct Relief’s California warehouse for the islands.

The organization has opened up its $360 million (wholesale) medical inventory in California for emergency response and will fulfill medical requests.

Medical shipments are on the way to local organizations, including Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, a group responding to needs, including those of pregnant women, newborns, and their families that have been displaced or impacted by the fires.

A shipment for the group departed Wednesday and included emergency medical backpacks, for triage care outside of clinic walls, and a wildfire response kit, specifically built with medical essentials commonly requested during wildfires, which includes respiratory medications and PPE.

More than 300 personal care kits, with hygiene items, including soap and toothpaste, for people displaced due to evacuation, have also been sent.

Shipments will continue this week, and Direct Relief is in contact with the Hawaii Department of Health, the Federal Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR) Region 9, the Hawaii Primary Care Association, and more than 15 other healthcare facilities in Hawaii in response to the recent outbreak of wildfires.

In addition to acute medical issues such as burns and smoke inhalation, wildfires can also prompt mass evacuations, creating further health risks. When people are suddenly displaced from their homes, they may leave without critical medications to manage chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. If unmanaged, these conditions can escalate, leaving the person requiring emergency care at a time when urgent care centers and emergency rooms are already inundated.

Fires can also create massive power outages (about 13,000 service addresses are currently without power on Maui, according to poweroutage.us), leaving large amounts of people without electricity, which can be deadly for those dependent on medical devices, including ventilators and medical oxygen.

Direct Relief will continue to respond to medical needs as requested.

The post Critical Aid Dispatched for Wildfire First Responders in Maui appeared first on Direct Relief.

Over the same period, an estimated 28.6 million people, or nearly 9 percent of the US population, experienced one or more days of heavy smoke.

According to NOAA, medium and heavy smoke density refers to the thickness of smoke observed in satellite imagery. Medium smoke density is meant to approximate between 10-21 micrograms per cubic meter, and heavy smoke density is intended to approximate 21-32 micrograms per cubic meter.

Broad exposure to smoke from wildfires has occurred despite this year seeing the fewest acres burned since 2014.

Last month alone, an estimated 1.44 million people across the US experienced seven or more days of heavy-density wildfire smoke.

Most locations that have endured such conditions over the past month are in Alaska, with Fairbanks being the most populous, though areas in California, Montana, and Idaho have been subject to at least seven high-density smoke days.

Though often associated with western US states, several Midwest and eastern states have also experienced at least one heavy smoke day, including vast swaths of Minnesota and Iowa as well as regions of New York and Pennsylvania.

Several studies have shown a link between wildfire smoke events and “significant” increases in hospital emergency department visits, especially for respiratory and cardiovascular ailments. These increases, particularly related to asthma and respiratory diseases, as well as cardiovascular diseases, can begin within a day or two of the events and continue for several weeks or more afterward, according to Helene G. Margolis, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

“Children, people with preexisting chronic diseases, and children in utero are definitely susceptible, across the life course,” Margolis said about people exposed to extended periods of either wildfire smoke or traffic-related pollution.

Some medical conditions associated with repeated exposure include respiratory diseases, deficits in lung function, asthma, allergies, chronic obstructed pulmonary disease, and altered immunology.

After prolonged exposure to traffic-related pollution, decreased lung function has also been reported in children.

“You can almost certainly expect that wildfire smoke is contributing to that,” Margolis said.

Wildfire smoke exposure can also lead to a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 and other illnesses since wildfire smoke and air pollution can “alter the efficacy of immune response,” Margolis said.

Both wildfire smoke and air pollution can trigger inflammation in a person’s airways, causing elevated inflammatory markers to occur throughout the body, she said, which can be particularly dangerous to people with metabolic syndrome.

smoke hits differently

Though smoke blankets an area, it does not affect all people in that area equally. Key differentiating factors include where a person lives, including the ability to either seal their home or leave, underlying health conditions, and financial circumstances, including the ability to buy air filters and avoid outdoor work.

“Some studies have shown that more vulnerable populations may experience a larger impact for the same event,” said Jennifer Richmond-Bryant, Ph.D., a professor at North Carolina State University’s College of Natural Resources, noting that not all vulnerable populations are the same.

As one example, focusing on non-medical factors, Richmond noted having air conditioning can “make a big impact.”

“As climate change progresses, there are not only more fires, but those with the means can close up their homes [during a wildfire smoke event]. Without air conditioning and with 90-degree heat, you’re going to have to open your windows,” Richmond-Bryant said.

While both traffic-related air pollution and wildfire smoke can carry serious risks, wildfire smoke carries unique risks owing to its compositions, which vary based on a range of factors, including where and what it is burning and how it acts in the atmosphere.

“Wildfires are occurring with substantially higher concentrations of particulate material than regular ambient air pollution,” Richmond-Bryant said.

“A lot of locations with older growth forests were around in the days of leaded gasoline. You might have wood with trace amounts of lead. Or they might have been around during a time of coal power, more than we have now, meaning mercury may have been embedded,” she said.

In addition to natural materials, Richmond-Bryant and Margolis said that human-made materials can also increase the toxicity of wildfire smoke – an increasing problem as people continue to move into formerly undeveloped, forested areas.

“A mid-20^th century house might have lead paint and become part of the air combustion mixture. You also have a lot of plastic materials,” Richmond-Bryant said.

“Those chemicals carry much higher toxicity risk,” said Margolis about plastics and other human-made materials.

A study on the 2018 Camp Fire showed that its smoke contained “dangerous” and “concerning” levels of particulate matter and toxic metal contaminants, including lead, “which spiked for about 24 hours.”

Margolis said that issues around wildfire smoke figure to increase due to climate change and other ongoing trends.

“Given climate change and the drying of the landscape, the conditions have become increasingly arid. When you factor in more things like forestry management, these events are happening earlier, they last longer, there’s more fuel, so the magnitude, length, and the duration of exposure to wildfires is greater,” Margolis said.

“It’s going to have downstream consequences,” Margolis said.

Direct Relief has been responding to wildfires for decades and most recently shipped dozens of requested emergency field medic packs to the California National Guard to support their response to the ongoing wildfires in northern California. Each pack is equipped with triage and medical essentials, including infection control supplies, trauma care, diagnostics, and PPE.

Michael Robinson, Crisis Mapping and Data Science Specialist at Direct Relief, contributed to this article.

The post Two in Three People in the US Were Exposed to Significant Wildfire Smoke Last Month appeared first on Direct Relief.

On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the effects of the Oak Fire, which has destroyed at least seven structures and forced evacuation notices for at least 3,800 people.

The fast-moving fire is not only creating hazardous conditions on the ground but creating air quality impacts for people across multiple states. Wildfires often cause particulate matter to linger in the air, which can exacerbate respiratory conditions like asthma.

Direct Relief’s Response

Over the weekend, Direct Relief staff reached out to the State of California Office of Emergency Services to offer support, as well as to county response agencies.

Wildfire preparation and response is part of the organization’s ongoing work, and on Friday, a shipment of field medic packs was dispatched to the California National Guard for fire preparation across the state of California.

The organization has a long history of responding to wildfires, particularly in the Western U.S., and has deployed often in recent years to fires across the state as drought and climate conditions cause fires to increase in frequency and severity.

Fires can also cause health risks during evacuation. As people quickly evacuate their homes, they may leave behind medicines needed to manage chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure. If left unmanaged, those conditions can escalate into emergency situations, requiring high levels of care at hospitals that may already be stretched thin. Direct Relief maintains an inventory of medical aid commonly requested by health providers during fires.

When an emergency such as a wildfire occurs, requests for medical assistance are often made in the days and weeks afterward, as health care providers, emergency response managers, and others on the ground take stock of medical needs. Direct Relief is prepared to meet a wide range of requests for medical support in the coming days and weeks.

The organization is in communication with local responders about ongoing needs and is ready to respond.

The post Oak Fire Blazes Near Yosemite, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate 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.

Direct Relief is responding to requests for local partners to help support emergency response efforts and vulnerable populations on the island.

Check this page for ongoing updates from Direct Relief’s emergency response team, research and analysis team, and journalists.

April 28

Dispatch From St. Lucia, More Aid Arrives

Today, Direct Relief Program Manager Luis David Rodriguez is in Vieux Fort, St. Lucia to assist in response to the St. Vincent volcanic eruption. Luis is working closely with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and the Pan American Health Organization to ensure that necessary medical supplies are properly allocated.

April 19

New Story Map Shows Population Movement

From Direct Relief’s Research and Analysis team, here is a new story map that shows population mobility data over the past week, amid the volcanic eruption on St. Vincent. The data is sourced from Facebook’s Data for Good program, which compiles randomized Facebook App data rom users who have opted-in to the program.

Click the graphic below to access the story map:

April 18

Situation Report 3

A major explosion started this evening, marking the ninth significant explosion since December 2020. Ash plumes are reaching as high as 8,000 feet, with ash raining heavily on the entire island as well as neighboring islands, such as Barbados.

Water supply across the island continues to be compromised and completely cut off in some areas, as well as power and internet. Aerosol plumes have traveled across vast stretches of the northern hemisphere.

The UN reports that about 4,000 displaced people are living in 87 shelters set up by the St. Vincent Government, many of which lack basic services such as drinking water. Thousands more are staying in private homes of family and friends on the other end of the island. Evacuations to surrounding island nations continue, but in smaller numbers.

Explosive activity is expected to continue for months, so the top priorities are water supply and shelter management.

The death toll remains at zero.

Direct Relief continues to receive and field requests for support.

-Cydney Justman, Emergency Response Team

April 17

Pallets Arrive in St. Vincent

Nine pallets of assorted PPE arrived to the Ministry of Health in St. Vincent.

Caribbean Disaster Management Agency Update

In its latest update, CDEMA reports that “eruptions continue although explosive activity has reduced.”

The report also states that long-period and hybrid earthquakes are ongoing at La Soufrière Volcano. After a lull last night, they have been constant.

The new volcanic crater now measures 900 meters at least 750 meters and is estimated to be 100 meters, according to Raphael Grandin of the University of Paris’s Institut De Physique Du Globe De Paris.

Explosions with ashfall could restart in the future, the report cautioned.

April 16

Direct Relief Shipment Arrives

Two containers of PPE arrived to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) in St. Lucia yesterday. A portion is being sent to St. Vincent by boat tomorrow morning.

April 15

Population Movement Update

On the map below (one or two geocoding errors but it’s almost entirely correct) you can see the population displacement from the north of St. Vincent to the south as well.

-Andrew Schroder, VP of Research and Analysis

April 14

Direct Relief Shipment On The Way

A 20-pallet shipment, valued at $1.8 million, was picked up from Direct Relief’s Santa Barbara headquarters by FedEx, en route to St. Lucia, where it will be staged for delivery to St. Vincent.

April 13

Facebook Data Show Population Movement On Island

An analysis of anonymized Facebook-provided user data suggests that people in St. Vincent are moving south on the island, with that area’s population having increased by about 40%, compared to the pre-eruption baseline. Based on this analysis, the greatest proportional change actually came from St. Patrick, not from St. David – which is the district where the volcano is located. St, David principally sent folks to St. Patrick – so there may have been a cascade effect of departures over the five days. St. George actually sent a reasonably significant number of people to St. David, which may include the relief effort and the assessment teams.

This is all tracking movement within the country – not internationally – although it is interesting that there’s essentially no recorded movement to the more southern islands.

-Andrew Schroder, VP of Research and Analysis

Click here for updating GIS maps and Facebook population movement data

April 12

Direct Relief Response Video Update

Amid St. Vincent’s Volcano Eruptions, Response Efforts Continue

Original reporting from Talya Meyers detailed the latest developments on the island, where 16,000 people have been evacuated during the most violent phase of the eruption so far, as well as Direct Relief’s response. Shipments from Santa Barbara are being prepared at the request of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and St. Vincent’s Ministry of Health, Wellness, and the Environment, WHO’s Pan American Health Organization, and other local partners.

Full Article 

April 11

Direct Relief Sending Wildfire Kits to St. Vincent

Wildfires and volcanic eruptions carry may of the same risks to medically vulnerable members of the population, particularly those with respiratory conditions. Reflecting this, Direct Relief is readying its Wildfire Health Kits for delivery to St. Vincent. Each kit is designed to enable the treatment of about 250 people for 3 to 5 days, with medicines and supplies most requested by healthcare providers in past wildfire emergencies.

Each pre-packed kit contains essential medicines and medical supplies to treat the most common health conditions caused and exacerbated by wildfires and mass evacuations. Some of the items are inhalers and nebulizer solutions to treat respiratory irritation, irrigation solutions and antibiotics for skin and eye injuries, analgesics for headaches, bandages and wound care items for lacerations and minor injuries like sprains and strains, and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves to protect health workers.

April 10

Situation Report 2

La Soufriere has moved into an explosive state since early this morning. The island’s pre-emptive evacuation preparation and arrangements went into full effect yesterday and, as of this morning, close to 20,000 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding the volcano. Some evacuees were transported by land to other parts of the island, outside of the impact zone of the volcano. Two cruise ships from Royal Caribbean and two from Carnival Cruise Line arrived Thursday and Friday to ferry other groups of evacuees to nearby islands or shelters elsewhere in St. Vincent.

Direct Relief is building palletized donations that contain an assortment of supplies including N95 masks, respiratory medications, burn creams, hygiene kits, cots, first aid kits and Direct Relief Wildfire Health Kits. The N95 masks will be accompanied by the leaflets which indicate safest use of masks for protection against inhalation of volcanic ash.

The airport in St. Vincent is now closed. This emergency shipment will be consigned to OECS in St. Lucia, where it will be transferred by boat to St. Vincent.

The Pan American Health Organization has activated their Emergency Operations Center for this event.

The primary health concerns during volcanic eruptions are similar to wildfires, and include respiratory distress, eye and skin irritation, contaminated water supply, the intensification of chronic illnesses when access to medicine is compromised.

The Barbados Defense Force Field Medical Team is preparing for deployment to St. Vincent. They are assessing needs and will be sending requests for support shortly. The Barbados Defense Force has a WHO-qualified Emergency Medical Team and field hospital, to support Barbados and the greater Caribbean in times of need. In March, Direct Relief supported the field hospital with 10 cots, 1 tent with lighting kit, and 2 emergency health kits each of which contained medicines and supplies frequently used and needed in emergency situations.

-Cydney Justman, Emergency Response Team

***

For the most recent updates from the field, here are Direct Relief responding partners’ social media accounts:

Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) : posting live photos and updates of eruption & evacuation plans-
https://www.facebook.com/OECSCommission/
https://twitter.com/oecscommission

Barbados Defense Force : posting videos and photos of their response and relief supplies delivered via boat-
https://www.facebook.com/BarbadosBDF/

PAHO/WHO Emergencies : Posting live updates of relief shipments, including details of supplies –
https://twitter.com/PAHOemergencies

–Maeve O’Connor, communications specialist

April 9

Erupting Volcano in the Caribbean Prompts Immediate Response

Original reporting from Talya Meyers outlining the latest news on the island, health concerns, and Direct Relief’s response.

Full Article 

April 8

Situation Report 1

St. Vincent is a volcanic island in the eastern Caribbean. It is composed of partially-submerged volcanic mountains. Its largest volcano, La Soufriere, is signaling significant activity, and is expected to erupt imminently. Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has issued an evacuation order for 20,000 people (20% of the island’s population) as conditions at La Soufriere continue to deteriorate. Evacuees will be transported by boat to St. Lucia, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Direct Relief has offered support to the Chief Pharmacist of St. Vincent, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The primary health concerns during volcanic eruptions are similar to wildfires, and include respiratory distress, eye and skin irritation, contaminated water supply, the intensification of chronic illnesses when access to medicine is compromised.

Since 2008, Direct Relief has provided the Ministry of Health of St. Vincent with 29 shipments valued at over $10 million.

Estimated affected population: 60,000

Estimated evacuation population: 20,000

Covid-19 Cases in St. Vincent 7-day average: 4

-Cydney Justman, Emergency Response Team

The post St. Vincent Volcano Eruption: Live Story appeared first on Direct Relief.

The eruptions began on Friday, a day after the volcano was determined to be an imminent threat and evacuations of the area began. Approximately 16,000 people have been evacuated thus far, although unknown numbers have refused to leave.

Even aside from the immediate threats to those in the area, the volcano poses a much larger health risk. Eruptions have caused the ash that first rose miles into the air to rain down on St. Vincent and even on neighboring countries, creating conditions that are especially dangerous to people with respiratory conditions and other health concerns. The nation’s food and water supplies have been compromised by the contamination, according to the Associated Press.

Direct Relief began responding to the crisis on Thursday. A nine-pallet shipment, organized in consultation with St. Vincent’s chief pharmacist, is currently being readied for shipment to the nearby nation of St. Lucia. There, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, a Direct Relief partner, will deliver it to St. Vincent’s Ministry of Health, Wellness, and the Environment.

The shipment contains respiratory medications, N95 masks, burn creams, cots, first aid kits, hygiene supplies, and two Direct Relief wildfire kits. Wildfires and volcanoes pose many of the same health risks, including respiratory complications; skin burns and irritation; contaminated water supplies; and exacerbation of chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, as many people evacuate without their medications.

In addition, the organization has prepared a four-pallet shipment for shipment to Barbados, where the Pan American Health Organization, the branch of the World Health Organization focused on the Americas, will receive it. That shipment includes more wildfire kits, PPE, and emergency medical backpacks intended for first responders working in the field to respond to medical needs.

Two Direct Relief donations not originally intended for the eruption will also be partially diverted to response efforts. Two containers of personal protective equipment (PPE) are scheduled to arrive in St. Lucia on Wednesday. The Barbados Defense Force, which is deploying to St. Vincent in response to the volcano, received a significant donation from Direct Relief in March to support its work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The organization is preparing to provide additional supplies if requested, including tents, PPE, emergency medical backpacks, water, and more.

The post Amid St. Vincent’s Volcano Eruptions, Response Efforts Continue 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.

More than 100,000 residents had evacuated in Orange County as of Tuesday as a result of the Silverado Fire, which was burning near the City of Irvine. The fire was less than 5 percent contained at that time, and high winds and low humidity have created ideal conditions for the blaze to spread.

Another fire, the Blue Ridge Fire, was also burning near the San Bernardino and Orange County line.

2020 has proven a catastrophic year for wildfires. More than 5 million acres have burned in the West this year, including in states like Colorado and Oregon. In California alone, 28 active fires are in varying stages of containment.

Direct Relief’s Response

Since July 2020, Direct Relief has provided more than $1.6 million in medical aid in response to wildfires in the western United States. That includes 151 shipments to 59 recipients.

In addition, in response to the Silverado Fires in Orange County, Direct Relief sent out emergency alerts to 18 partner health facilities this week, offering medical aid and emergency medicines, including to the Orange County Office of Emergency Management, Orange County Public Health Department, Orange County Regional Primary Care Association, and California Primary Care Association.

Direct Relief is currently preparing several shipments of requested medical aid for health organizations in Orange County. One of those requests was from Lestonnac Free Clinic in the City of Orange. The clinic is about five miles from the fire, and medical personnel are readying a Direct Relief-funded mobile telemedicine unit for deployment to affected areas, said Cydney Justman, Senior Emergency Response Manager for Direct Relief.

The clinic has requested masks from Direct Relief, and is planning distribution sites at shelters, grocery store parking lots, and other areas where people are gathering. Wildfire can bring about a host of health concerns, including exacerbation of breathing and respiratory issues.

Air quality in part of Los Angeles and Orange Counties registered in the “unhealthy” category on Tuesday, meaning that “some members of the general public may experience health effects, and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects,” according to the U.S. Air Quality Index.

Families Together of Orange County is also serving patients impacted by the fires. The health center has two locations and a mobile unit that they are deploying to shelters serving evacuees, according to Chris Alleway, Emergency Response Specialist for Direct Relief. The group has requested masks, personal care kits, ophthalmic medicines, and backup power, including a portable generator and battery unit for a vaccine fridge.

Thousands are without power across the state, some because of the fires and some from preemptive power shut-offs, which are intended to prevent fires from cropping up. When the power goes off, sometimes health providers face tough choices, depending on their access to back-up options. The choice of whether to power a fridge keeping vaccines and other medicines cool or maintain computer access to medical records is a calculus health providers are being met with more frequently as fires grow larger each year.

Another health challenge presented by wildfires arrives when widespread evacuations are required. Several community centers in Orange County have been established for evacuees, and authorities are working to maintain Covid-19 safety protocols for people there.

In addition to the concerns around the spread of Covid-19, displaced people may often be cut off from a steady supply of medications that allow them to maintain their health. Medications for chronic conditions like diabetes and high-blood pressure may be left behind in the rush to leave home. For patients that depend on these meds, lack of access can necessitate emergency care at precisely the same time when local health systems may already be taxed.

Direct Relief will continue to respond to requests for medical aid as they become known.

The post Blazes Erupt in Southern California, Displacing Thousands appeared first on Direct Relief.

With thousands evacuated and the health impacts of smoke, displacement, and the ongoing pandemic converging, Direct Relief has been responding to the medical needs of communities most impacted.

So far this wildfire season, Direct Relief has supported more than 30 health centers, public emergency response offices, and county health departments across California and the Western U.S. with more than 80 deliveries of protective gear, respiratory aids, ophthalmic products, tetanus vaccines, and other requested medicines and supplies.

As the fires rage on, requests remain high for medical supplies for patients with breathing issues – like asthma, often exacerbated by the thick, toxic air accompanying the blazes.

Respiratory medications, like albuterol and inhalers, are in currently high demand from local health providers, as are N95 respirators to filter out smoke, said Leighton Jones, U.S. Director of Emergency Response for Direct Relief. Air quality continues to register as “unhealthy” in many parts of the state.

Another concern, compounded by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, are the health impacts facing evacuees. When residents are forced to evacuate, care for chronic conditions may be interrupted. If evacuees experience a disruption in their insulin supply or medicine for high blood pressure or asthma, once-manageable conditions can quickly escalate, prompting an emergency room visit, even as local health systems reach critical capacity.

On Monday, Jones outlined a few of many shipments departing for health providers on the frontlines of the devastating fires.

California

In Napa and Sonoma Counties, the Glass Fire has destroyed nearly 500 homes across both counties, and more than 70,000 people have been told to evacuate.

One health center serving evacuees is OLE Health, a federally qualified health center, in Napa County. The health center has four locations throughout the area, including in Calistoga, just east of where the Glass Fire began. The town’s 5,000-plus residents have been told to evacuate, and Direct Relief is processing shipments of medical aid to assist with OLE Health’s efforts.

Ongoing shipments of medical aid have also been reaching the Santa Rosa Community Health Center in neighboring Sonoma County, where fire activity has been extensive, and devastating, in recent years. The Tubbs Fire, which ravaged Sonoma County in 2017, was one of the state’s deadliest, killing 22 people and destroying more than 5,600 structures.

Direct Relief worked extensively to help the health system in the area rebuild, including cash assistance to the Santa Rosa Community Health Center, which recently completed a rebuild of one of their health sites after the Tubbs Fire destroyed the facility. The health center has received medical supplies during the most recent fires, and local health providers have expressed concern about mental health and post-traumatic stress of residents experiencing a series of fires and disruptions to community life.

In Butte County, site of the 2018 Camp Fire, the state’s most deadly on record, residents are still rebuilding and recovering from that blaze, even while dealing with a new one. The North Complex Fire has killed 15 and more than 2,400 structures have been damaged or destroyed.

Late last week, a Direct Relief shipment departed for the Butte County Public Health Department, via that county’s Emergency Operations Center, Jones said. Ampla Health, which operates a health center in Yuba City, also received a shipment of masks and respiratory medications.

Also in Northern California, Mendocino Community Health Center requested respiratory supplies last week from Direct Relief. A shipment of N95 masks was sent to the center, which is dealing with the effects of the August Complex Fire. The shipment also contained albuterol to address breathing issues, like asthma, that patients may be experiencing. After losing power during previous fires, the organization recently undertook efforts to install back-up power to continue patient care during an emergency.

In San Benito County, Emergency Medical Backpacks were also sent and arrived Monday. The backpacks, which contain first aid-type medical supplies to treat patients outside clinic walls, will equip EMS teams responding to emergency calls throughout the county.

Oregon

Six major fires continue burning in Oregon, and Direct Relief is coordinating closely with the state’s Department of Public Health. Three wildfire kits, which contain medicines and supplies often used to specifically treat wildfire-related health concerns, were shipped to the agency.

Emergency Medical Backpacks were also sent, as well as 100 stethoscopes and 100 blood pressure cuffs. Medical aid to the state has been ongoing, and an airlift of essential medications took place recently for distribution across the state.

Looking ahead

California still has two months to go in its traditional fire season, and with many residents still out of their homes and navigating personal loss, the impacts of this year’s blazes will extend long beyond containment efforts and suppression tactics.

Direct Relief will continue to respond in coordination with responding agencies to meet the needs of those in its home state of California, and throughout the West.

The post Fires Blaze Past Historic Records in California, Prompting Unprecedented Response appeared first on Direct Relief.

Fires are “especially difficult just by nature of the displacement,” said Felicia Walker, chief operating officer at the nonprofit Reach Out WorldWide (ROWW). In many cases, “when these people are coming home, they have literally nothing to come home to.”

Walker knows what she’s talking about. Since its founding in 2010 by firefighters and paramedics, including the late actor Paul Walker, ROWW has responded to disasters all over the world – whether it’s an earthquake in Haiti or a typhoon in Nepal – and often with Direct Relief. 

“Many of them are not going to know their circumstances for up to six months down the road,” such as whether or not they have jobs, Walker said, describing those displaced by the wildfires that have swept the West Coast in recent weeks. “From top to bottom, there’s little communities everywhere that have been completely destroyed.

ROWW plans to identify a couple of large-scale recovery projects in the coming months, but for the time being, Walker said, what’s most needed are hygiene and first aid supplies, materials for firefighters still on the frontlines, masks, and personal items.

Over the weekend, Direct Relief, via a fleet of volunteer pilots, provided ROWW with 100,000 KN95 masks, wildfire kits filled with critical medications and supplies, tents donated by Barebones, and hygiene items donated by Vaseline, among others.

The supplies were distributed to emergency staging sites and camps up and down the Interstate-5 in Oregon, to aid both firefighters on the frontlines and people displaced by the blazes.

Volunteer coordinator Joshwa Martin, on the ground in Oregon, spoke to Direct Relief while on his way to survey a new potential evacuation center. (A previous one had just closed down.)

The evacuation center Martin described, most recently set up at a local high school, allowed evacuees to receive medical and mental health care along with needed supplies, chosen for them with the help of a “personal shopper.” Those with special needs could receive help from an occupational therapist.

For Martin, a managing director at an apparel company, the volunteer work he’s doing is about much more than trying to meet basic needs. “They’ve been assigned the role of evacuee right now….but they’re not an evacuee. They’re a soul,” he said. “We’re just trying to recognize the human.”

For ROWW, which is based in California and has volunteers in Oregon, devastating wildfires are nothing new. Walker described developing a “community toolshare” for people in Butte County rebuilding their homes after the catastrophic Camp Fire in 2018, which killed 85 people and destroyed thousands of residences.

But while they may not be new, they are personal.

“We pretty much go anywhere” when help is required, Walker said. However, when it comes to the wildfires, “this is right in our backyard.”

As a California-based nonprofit disaster relief and medical assistance organization, Direct Relief responds each year to wildfires and other emergencies in both its home state and throughout the U.S. and has done so for decades. So far this wildfire season, Direct Relief has supported more than 30 health centers, public emergency response offices, and county health departments across California, Oregon, and Washington with more than 70 deliveries of protective gear, respiratory aids, ophthalmic products, tetanus vaccines, and other requested medicines and supplies.

The post For Oregon’s Displaced, Wildfires are Just the Beginning appeared first on Direct Relief.

“They asked us to provide medical services,” said Sharen Carey, a physician assistant and executive director of Big Sur Health Center. A veteran of seven previous fires, Carey signed the contract on Friday and by Saturday she and her team were in the field, caring for about 700 firefighters. The speed at which they were able to respond was all the more remarkable because, only a few days prior, they “had no supplies to treat anybody,” Carey said, as a result of the clinic having been stretched thin by the ongoing pandemic.

But donations from Direct Relief, turned around in about 48 hours after she and her team ordered it, and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, enabled Carey and her team to get started for the remote-based mission. “The [Direct Relief] kit came with a sufficient quantity of useful medications that allowed us to start treating the large number of firefighters right away,” she said.

The combination of the pandemic and record-setting wildfires in the western United States has challenged all manner of health care providers, emergency responders, and public health systems.

Safety net clinics, while dealing with all the same issues, have faced the added pressure of continuing to maintain adequate supplies, including medicines and personal protection equipment, to provide care to everyone who comes through the door.

“We’re a community health clinic and we serve everyone, regardless of how much money you have or what you’re going through,” said Philippa Barron, COO of Santa Cruz Community Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center.

Since the current slate of wildfires began in mid-August, Direct Relief has been able to help support safety net health centers, public emergency response offices, and county health departments across California, Oregon, and Washington with $1.25 million worth of medicines and supplies such as KN95 masks. Direct Relief created a Wildfire Kit last year, after analyzing the most requested items by health centers during these natural disasters. The kits contain nearly 100 different items and are designed to treat 250 people for three to five days.

Specific items include PPE, inhalers and nebulizer solutions to treat respiratory irritation, irrigation solutions and antibiotics for dermal and ophthalmic injuries, analgesics for headaches, bandages and wound care items for lacerations and minor injuries like sprains and strains.

To expedite the process and get first-hand impressions of the current situation, the most recent shipment was driven to Santa Cruz and Big Sur on Monday by Emergency Response Team members Andrew MacCalla and Chris Alleway, who spoke with healthcare providers and clinic leaders about the compounding nature of the pandemic and wildfires.

That delivery included protective gear, respiratory aids, ophthalmic supplies, tetanus vaccines, and other requested medicines and supplies. “They just need more of everything and have a harder time dealing with it because their staff are affected,” MacCalla said.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty, especially for staff. I personally got evacuated,” said Gladys Drummond, a medical assistant in the pediatric department of Santa Cruz Community Health’s East Cliff Family Health Center.

The wildfires “have turned it into a nightmare,” said Carey about the dual crises. Monterey County is rated at Tier 1 in the state’s ranking system. At this tier, community transmission is “widespread” with more than eight cases per 100,000 people, excluding prison cases.

“The fires have been hard because it’s our community and we are already dealing with Covid,” Barron said. Santa Cruz County is at Tier 2, or “substantial” community transmission.

Like most safety net clinics in the U.S., Big Sur Health Center and Santa Cruz Community Health Center’s locations moved most of their appointments to telehealth visits. While allowing care to continue, those visits presented challenges.

“You kind of roll with the punches, but it was hard to be away and see how many things you can’t do remotely. That was my biggest challenge, to be outside of my comfort zone and keep pace with my business and support my staff,” said Barron.

The clinics in both Santa Cruz and Big Sur said many patients had moved away during the pandemic as work opportunities dried up and, now, during the fires.

“For our patients, it was a stressful time, we lost touch with patients and babies,” Drummond said.

Beyond these practical issues, there is also the impact of witnessing tragedy, and ongoing uncertainty, in one’s own community. A patient of the Big Sur clinic recently passed away due to a lack of asthma medication, which the patient, who was uninsured, had been trying to conserve. The individual died while on a hike.

Property loss has been substantial in the mountains near the Santa Cruz clinics, where over 900 homes have been destroyed.

“It’s hard to imagine losing our place, but I didn’t own a home and I don’t have kids to explain that too. And a lot of people did. A lot of people lost their farms and it’s pretty devastating. It’s very hard to see other people suffering,” Barron said.

But there are reasons for optimism. The Dolan Fire is now at 40% containment, while two other major Northern California fires — SCU Lightning Complex and LNU Lightning Complex — are at 98% and 97% containment, respectively, which has allowed air quality to improve along the coast. Air Quality Index values are now below 100, which is rated as “moderate” and” acceptable” by AirNow, a partnership of various U.S. government agencies as well as tribal, state, and local agencies.

Though the new fires remain in the region, and the pandemic never went away, Drummond said she is buoyed by her responsibilities.

“It’s concerning, it’s a scary time. What I always go back to is the clinic supports you. It brings stability knowing you still have a job and still have people to help,” said Drummond.

The post Pandemic, Wildfires Test California Safety Net Health Centers appeared first on Direct Relief.

Governor Gavin Newsom, who has declared a state of emergency, stated that California has been facing extreme weather conditions which have led to “experiencing fires, the likes of which we have never seen in many, many years.” Northern California that has been extremely hard hit with some of the biggest blazes including:

• Creek Fire (Fresno, Madera counties)
• North Complex Fire, includes Bear and Claremont Fires (Plumas, Lassen, Butte & Yuba)
• August Complex Fire (Glenn, Mendocino, Lake, Tehama and Trinity counties)
• LNU Lightning Complex Fire (Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Lake & Yolo counties)
• SCU Lightning Complex Fire (Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin & Stanislaus counties)
• CZU Lightning Complex Fire (Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties)

Direct Relief’s Research and Analysis team has been tracking the wildfires with an eye toward analyzing the populations most at-risk during wildfires, which can seriously exacerbate pre-existing conditions, as well as the health centers and free clinics that serve the most vulnerable patients. Analysis by Direct Relief of coastal communities to the west of the fire perimeters, north of San Francisco – which are in areas of heavy smoke inundation – show 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers. These centers serve 94,000 patients, of which 40,000 live at 200% or more below the poverty line and 2,130 are experiencing homelessness. Thousands of these patients suffer from chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, depression, and PTSD. Covid-19 has added another layer of complication to response efforts, increasing dangers for those with co-morbidities as well as creating issues regarding the number of evacuees allowed to shelter in enclosed spaces.

Southern California is also contending with large wildfires including the Lake Fire and the Ranch 2 fires burning in Los Angeles County, the Dome Fire burning in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, and the Apple Fire burning in Riverside County.

Positioned to Respond

As a California-based disaster relief and medical assistance organization, Direct Relief has responded to wildfires in California, and throughout the U.S., for decades. The organization is a long-time partner of the State of California through its Office of Emergency Services, or CalOES, and always coordinates its response to wildfires with state officials. Direct Relief also partners with the State of California Emergency Management Agency, CalEMA, and serves as one of its key Business and Utilities Operations Center, or BUOC, partners to optimize coordination during times of emergencies.

Direct Relief’s 155,000-square-foot medical distribution center, equipment, trained staff, and various other capacities are registered with the State of California and available for public health or emergency purposes. Direct Relief created a Wildfire Kit last year, which contains medicines and supplies that have been most requested by healthcare providers in this type of disaster. The kits are designed to enable the treatment of about 250 people for 3 to 5 days.

Direct Relief’s Response

Direct Relief has been responding to communities impacted by these devastating wildfires, reaching out to dozens of healthcare partners in affected areas to offer assistance, and shipping Wildfire Kits and Emergency Medical Backpacks, as well as additional N95 masks and other personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, respiratory drugs, dermatology supplies, IV solutions, first aid supplies, and diagnostic equipment to public health agencies, healthcare facilities, and evacuation centers.

To date, a total of 19 emergency shipments have been delivered with additional donations being packed. Recipient agencies and healthcare facilities include:

• Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management
• Santa Rosa Community Health Centers
• San Mateo County Health Services Agency
• Marin County Department of Health and Human Services
• Contra Costa Health Services
• Salud Para La Gente in Watsonville
• Big Sur Health Center

Direct Relief will continue to support California Wildfires Response efforts, as well as expanding outreach to other states experiencing severe wildfires, including Oregon and Washington.

The post Emergency Shipments Continue as California Fires Rage On appeared first on Direct Relief.

The fires have spawned apocalyptic images in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington with, variously, red, orange, grey, and black skies from the fires ash and smoke.

In Washington, strong winds helped fan a fire that mostly destroyed a town, Malden, of about 200 people near Spokane. Washington Governor Jay Inslee said, “An estimated 330,000 acres of our state burned just in 24 hours. More acres burned yesterday than in 12 of the last entire fire seasons in the state of Washington,” according to NBC News. The state’s two largest fires, which have burned more than 337,000 acres, have no level of containment.

Oregon’s wildfires have burned hundreds of homes to ground, with that state’s governor, Kate Brown saying that, “This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfire in our state’s history,” according to CNN. Brown also said at least five towns have been “substantially destroyed.” Oregon currently has 14 large active fires, one of which caused residents in parts of Medford, Ore. To evacuate.

In California, Pacific Gas & Electric shut off power to 170,000 homes and businesses in Northern and central California, according to KQED, in an effort to mitigate the risk of catalyzing new fires, again. 14,000 firefighters are currently trying to contain the state’s blazes, which have already burned a total of over 2.2 million acres, an all-time record. Eight people have been killed and thousands of buildings have destroyed this year by wildfires. All national forests in California have been temporarily closed by the U.S. Forest Service due to the current spate of fires and the increased potential for new fires.

Other states experiencing large fires include Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The total burned acreage this year nationally is just under 4.7 million acres. The 10-year average at this point in the year is 5.75 million acres and the largest total by this time was 8.65 million acres in 2015, according to NIFC.

Direct Relief’s Research and Analysis team has been tracking the wildfires with an eye toward analyzing the populations most at-risk during the events, which can exacerbate preexisting conditions such as asthma. The Covid-19 pandemic has added another layer of complication to response efforts while also increasing dangers for those with comorbidities. Analysis by Direct Relief of coastal communities to the west of the fire perimeters, north of San Francisco – which are in areas of heavy smoke inundation– show 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers. These centers serve 94,000 patients, of which 40,000 live at 200% or more below the poverty line and 2,130 are experiencing homelessness. Thousands of these patients suffer from chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, depression, and PTSD.

An analysis by Direct Relief of anonymized Facebook-provided data revealed that people in fire-stricken areas are mostly moving towards the coast, where population has increased by 6.5% compared to baseline totals.

“Folks have been shifting towards the coast, away from the burn zones, which seems quite rational. However, this area along the coast is also the peak smoke coverage area, which gets worse as the forecast moves forward in time. So as folks have moved away from the fire perimeters, they’ve moved towards an area of increasing and quite thick smoke coverage – varying from simply unhealthy to hazardous,” said Andrew Schroeder, vice president of Research and Analysis at Direct Relief.

Direct Relief has responded to wildfires since 2007, and created a Wildfire Kit last year, which contains medicines and supplies that have been most requested by healthcare providers amidst these disasters. The kits are designed to enable the treatment of about 250 people for 3 to 5 days.

The post Record-Setting Wildfires Blaze Across Western U.S. appeared first on Direct Relief.

Seven people have been killed by the ongoing Bay Area-adjacent fires, which in total have burned more than 800,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.

The three fires, called LNU Lightning Complex, SCU Lightning Complex, and CZU August Lightning, were all started by lighting earlier this month, beginning on August 15. They are 33% contained, 25% contained, and 19% contained, respectively. Major fires are also ongoing in Butte, Tuolumne, and Plumas Counties. Since the 15th, in sum, more than 650 new wildfires have been catalyzed, consuming over 1.25 million acres.

In addition to the widespread damage to life and property, including the destruction of 1,400 structures, the sprawling wildfires are compounding a public health crisis brought on by the pandemic. A recent Harvard University study showed that sustained exposure to relatively small increases in particulate matter, such as is found in wildfire smoke, “leads to a large increase in the COVID-19 death rate.”

“A new illness, like Covid-19, can tip the scales for someone who is chronically ill and can cause them to decompensate while putting them more at risk for worse outcomes,” said Dr. Nico Conti, who practices internal medicine.

“Comorbidities typically complicate acute medical conditions — whether they’re chronic or new — and put people at risk for more complicated hospital stays and just overall complicate their ability to get better,” he said.

As they have done in past natural disasters and crises, community health centers are finding new ways to help support acute public health needs.

“Tuesday night, I realized it was going to be another one of ‘those’ situations,” Sharen Carey, a physician’s assistant and executive director of Big Sur Health Center, told Direct Relief. Carey has experienced seven fires in the area and has been helping firefighters through the clinic since the mid-1980s.

Big Sur Health Center is running a pop-up clinic at the field headquarters for fire incident command personnel and firefighters in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park who are fighting the Dolan Fire.

She and her team see patients for 2 to 3 hours in the morning and evening, treating sprains, strains, lacerations, eye and ear infections, and severe poison oak reactions. Poison oak is rife in the area and often leads to symptoms such as blisters or an extremely itchy rash, which necessitates treatment with types of steroids.

Since the nearest hospital is dozens of miles away and other care options are limited in the area, the clinic’s work helps keep firefighters in the field while also reducing costs and providing immediate relief. Direct Relief was able to support their work with a Wildfire Kit, prescription drugs including steroids, PPE, wound care, stethoscopes, and hand sanitizer.

“Most firefighters are out there doing a really difficult job. They’re crashing around in poison oak, it’s hot, they’re sweaty, it’s itchy, they’re breathing smoke, they come in and drop at night, sometimes without even eating, because they’re so tired,” she said.

“We’re so appreciative of them being here and getting the fire out as soon as possible. It’s an honor to be part of that, and to be able to go down and help them. It’s a joy for us, and instantly rewarding.”

A donated shipment also went to Community Medical Centers in Stockton, Calif., which included PPE, stethoscopes, nutritional supplements, hand sanitizer, and flashlights.

Three additional community health centers in the area, as well as farmworkers in Santa Maria, Calif., have also received PPE and Kits. Marin County Public Health and Contra Costa Public Health received Kits and oxygen concentrators to help support firefighters and the Medical Reserve Corps.

The Wildfire Kit, created by Direct Relief last year, contains medicines and supplies that have been most requested during wildfires by healthcare providers. They are designed to enable the treatment of about 250 people for 3 to 5 days.

In addition to the kits, Direct Relief is also helping bring research to the state decision-makers and local clinics with a map analyzing the locations which have the most vulnerable populations, as indicated by chronic conditions, age, access to transportation, income, and living in a building with 10 or more units.

Due to social distancing guidelines, some of the thousands of fire evacuees are bring sent to hotel rooms paid for by the Red Cross. Though it is not a new intuitive, more people are being sent away from community shelters in an attempt to allow for more social distancing. Even prior to Covid-19, the Red Cross and other aid groups have tried to limit crowded group shelters, since the risk of outbreaks is elevated, as evidenced by the outbreak of norovirus following 2018’s Camp Fire in Butte County, Calif.

Direct Relief is in communication with 1,090 community health partners and in the fire-hit areas and will continue to respond with medicines and supplies as requested. Additional shipments are planned to go out this week. The Direct Relief Research and Analysis team remains in touch with CalOES and the Department of Public Health as well as Facebook in an ongoing effort to provide data to help inform an optimized response from state-level emergency and public health officials.

The post Historic Fires Mix with Covid-19 in Northern California appeared first on Direct Relief.