In Summary
- As wildfires rage across the western U.S., Direct Relief commits an initial $1 million in funding.
- A Direct Relief-chartered flight containing Covid-19-specific medicine and medical supplies arrived Friday morning in Indonesia with the nation’s Ministry of Health.
- Six U.S. community health centers will receive a total of $900,000, recognizing their success in advancing health equity in underserved communities.
- Since April 2021, Direct Relief has delivered $437 million worth of medical aid to India to support Covid-19 response efforts.
Top Stories
Responding to the West’s Massive Wildfires
The situation: Huge wildfires blazing across the western United States are displacing thousands and increasing medical needs.
The response: Direct Relief has committed an initial $1 million in financial resources and is making medicines, supplies, wildfire kits, and other emergency aid available to wildfire-affected areas throughout California and the US.
The impact: The funding and medical aid can help shelters, state and local emergency response agencies, and health clinics respond to everything from respiratory issues and cuts and scrapes to chronic diseases unmanaged during displacement.
Aiding in Indonesia’s Covid-19 Response
The situation: As Indonesia works to quell Covid-19, medicine and supplies arrived this week via a Direct Relief-chartered aircraft to support the effort.
The response: Direct Relief chartered a flight full of medicine and supplies, including $50 million worth of therapies to treat Covid-19 patients, oxygen concentrators, and PPE. The charter follows Indonesia Consul General Saud Purwanto Krisnawan’s visit to Direct Relief’s 155,000-square-foot distribution facility in California as the supplies were departing the U.S. for Indonesia.
The impact: According to a statement released by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “this support reflects the strong friendship and solidarity of the United States people to the Indonesian people in handling the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Funding Innovative Community Health Centers
The situation: Community health centers are on the frontlines of chronic disease care, especially for patients who are members of vulnerable communities. From providing culturally sensitive care to helping patients overcome practical barriers like transportation, health centers find creative ways to address diseases that affect at-risk communities.
The response: Direct Relief, the pharmaceutical company BD, and the National Association of Community Health Centers recognized six community health centers taking innovative approaches to chronic disease with $150,000 awards.
The impact: The awards will help these safety net providers expand successful programs for providing high-quality care to medically underserved populations.
India’s Covid-19 Crisis Presents New Challenges
The situation: India’s devastating recent wave of Covid-19 overwhelmed hospitals and spread to more remote and rural areas, complicating the humanitarian response.
The response: Direct Relief worked with trusted local networks to distribute $437 million worth of aid in the form of both funding and vital medical supplies like oxygen concentrators and PPE.
The impact: The support has been used to treat Covid-19, protect health care providers, bolster hospitals and other health facilities offering primary and specialist health services, and more.
In Brief
The United States
- Over the past two weeks, Direct Relief has made 975 shipments to 654 partners in 49 states and territories, totaling $6.6 million in value and more than 10,000 pounds.
- During that time, Direct Relief distributed $3.1 million in grants.
- Funded by a $100,000 Direct Relief grant, a new pediatric care coordinator is helping Puerto Rican children get on the transplant list more quickly.
- The nation’s charitable pharmacies play a vital role in making sure underserved patients get their medications.
Around the World
- Direct Relief delivered shipments to 24 partners in 15 countries in the past two weeks totaling $137.1 million in value and more than 176,000 pounds.
- Grants totaling $539,000 were issued by Direct Relief during the same period.
- A Hurricane Prep Pack, filled with essential medications and supplies often requested after storms, which Direct Relief donated to the Pan American Health Organization, arrived in Cuba this week as Tropical Depression Fred brought rains and high winds to the region.
- Direct Relief is preparing to deploy supplies to fire-affected countries in Europe, including Turkey, Greece, and Macedonia.
