Direct Relief was named a 2011 Laureate for its innovative use of technology tonight at IDG’s Computerworld Honors Program awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The annual award program honors visionary applications of information technology promoting positive social, economic, and educational change. Direct Relief won this honor in the Health category for its implementation of the Direct Relief Network, an information platform that enables charitable donations and management of medications, vaccine, medical supplies and health-related information in a precise, transparent, and efficient manner.
The Direct Relief Network links U.S. nonprofit clinics, international health programs, and emergency-response efforts with medical commodities donated by more than 100 healthcare companies.
In the United States, where Direct Relief is the first and only nonprofit organization licensed to distribute prescription medications in all 50 states, the Direct Relief Network has become the largest nonprofit channel in the country for nonprofit clinics and health centers to obtain donations of pharmaceuticals and other products for their low-income, uninsured patients. The Direct Relief USA program links more than 1,000 nonprofit community-based clinics through the Direct Relief Network with available medical products donated by dozens of healthcare companies. The program has provided more than $250 million in medical donations to nonprofit facilities in all 50 states and recently issued an extensive State of the Safety Net report about US nonprofit primary care clinics and health centers.
Internationally, the technology enables global sourcing, inventory management, reporting, and distribution for local healthcare projects, hospitals, clinics, and organizations in over 60 countries. In Haiti, Direct Relief has been among the world’s largest providers of medical resources since the January 2010 earthquake, with more than 700 tons of medical resources valued at over $60 million provided to over 100 hospitals, clinics and shelters. The organization’s deployment of technology currently enables over 100 healthcare facilities to order needed medical products online and optimize distribution and reporting.
The Direct Relief Network is built on SAP’s enterprise management technology platform, which is also used by leading global healthcare companies, and configured to meet the particular stringent requirements of pharmaceutical management and distribution as well as the practical needs of nonprofit clinics and health centers served by Direct Relief’s humanitarian programs.
The Computerworld Honors Program is governed by the not-for-profit Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation, founded in 1988 by International Data Group (IDG). Computerworld Honors is the longest-running global program to honor individuals and organizations that use information technology to promote positive social, economic and educational change.
Direct Relief is honored to be recognized by IDG and Computerworld for its advancements in technology to improve the health of people in need around the world.