To assist Los Angeles and Orange County clinics respond to those affected by the Sayre Fire, Direct Relief has sent over $70,000 worth of specifically requested medical material aid to community clinics over 18 shipments since Saturday. The contents of these shipments were focused particularly on respiratory problems reported by these partner clinics and their patients.

Six of these shipments, containing fast-acting asthma inhalers donated by GlaxoSmithKline and N-95 particulate masks, arrived Monday morning via donated shipping from FedEx, with 12 more partners set to receive their assistance today.

Direct Relief remains in contact with its 50 local, long-time clinic partners, the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, the Council of Orange County Community Clinics, and the California Primary Care Association to ensure that their medical material needs are met in response to this fire, which is only 40 percent contained according to Los Angeles County Fire Department reports.

According to partner community clinic Friends of Children Health Center in La Habra, the air is heavy with smoke and patients are reporting that they are feeling its effect on their lungs.

Anyone who is outdoors in the heavy smoke and ash is encouraged to use a protective N-95 particulate respirator, which is easy to wear. Medical supply manufacturer Medline Industries Inc. provided Direct Relief with a generous discount on its wholesale mask price, allowing the organization to purchase thousands of masks to provide to clinics.

Direct Relief has planned to aid two more partners in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, with material aid set to arrive Wednesday morning.