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Medical Aid, Financial Support Continues for L.A.-Area Fire Response Efforts

Direct Relief's Humanitarian Activity for the week of 02/07/2025 - 02/14/2025

News

Operational Update

Direct Relief staff deliver medical aid to AltaMed Health Center in Pasadena, California, on Feb. 4, 2025. The health center had one of its locations destroyed in the Eaton Fire, and is deploying a mobile unit to provide patient care to the community. (Photo by Bimarian Films)
By Staff

Over the past week, Direct Relief has delivered 857 shipments of requested medical aid across the U.S. and 18 countries worldwide. The shipments contained 7.7 million defined daily doses of medication.

Medications and supplies shipped this week included prenatal vitamins, rare disease therapies, cancer treatments, personal protective equipment, insulin, and more. This week, Direct Relief announced emergency funds for search and rescue organizations that responded to L.A.-area wildfires. Many of these organizations were also on standby this week during heavy rains in burn areas.

Response to L.A.-Area Wildfires Continues

In response to the unprecedented LA wildfires, Direct Relief has awarded more than $2.6 million in emergency operating grants to 43 organizations, including safety-net healthcare providers, mobile clinics, search and rescue teams, reproductive health organizations, and other nonprofits assisting affected communities. These grants provide critical short-term support, helping response partners sustain essential services, assist affected staff, and strengthen preparedness for future emergencies.

In addition to financial aid, Direct Relief has supplied more than $1.2 million in medicines and medical supplies to over 50 healthcare providers, government agencies, and other organizations across 70 locations in L.A. County. This aid includes first aid supplies for triage care, personal care products for displaced individuals, and protective gear for those re-entering burn areas, along with N95 and P100 respirators.

Additional medical supplies include air purifiers, antibiotics, cholesterol medication, and diagnostic equipment for detecting respiratory viruses like flu and COVID-19. The aid also provides diabetes essentials, including glucose test strips, insulin, and oral diabetes medications. Other critical supplies include hepatitis A, B, and Tdap vaccines, infant formula, nebulizers, nutritional supplements, over-the-counter medications, solar chargers, and water purification tablets.

To protect residents returning to burn areas, Direct Relief has provided the L.A. County Department of Public Health with full-body protective gear, including coveralls, N95 respirators, gloves, goggles, and shoe covers. Since the wildfires began, nearly 10,200 sets of protective gear have been delivered to the department and other government agencies.

Meanwhile, Direct Relief continues to support its extensive network of safety-net healthcare providers in L.A. County and across the U.S., ensuring uninterrupted access to essential medicines and medical supplies.

    Expanding Cold Storage Capacity at Phoenix Clinic

    Direct Relief, through a donation from Sanofi, provided a pharmaceutical-grade refrigerator to Native Health to expand storage for temperature-sensitive therapies such as insulin and vaccines. (Photo courtesy of Native Health)

    Native Health, which provides health services across multiple sites to the urban Native American population in Phoenix and the broader community, will expand its cold storage capacity for temperature-sensitive medications.

    Direct Relief, through a donation from Sanofi, provided a pharmaceutical-grade refrigerator to Native Health for their new clinic site, where expanded medical, dental, behavioral health services, and other services can be accessed. The refrigeration unit will support the clinic’s new pharmacy, expected to open in summer 2025.

    Essential items Assembled for People in Emergencies

    Volunteers assemble personal care items at Direct Relief headquarters. The items will be distributed to people experiencing displacement during emergencies. (Shannon Hickerson/Direct Relief)

    Direct Relief volunteers assembled personal care items, including soap and toothpaste, at the organization’s Santa Barbara headquarters on Feb. 11 to support thousands of people affected by displacement and other emergencies.

    Operational Snapshot

    UNITED STATES

    Direct Relief delivered 835 shipments containing 2.2 million doses of medication during the past month to organizations, including the following:

    • Welvista, South Carolina
    • NC Medassist, North Carolina
    • St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy – Dallas, Texas
    • CommunityHealth, Illinois
    • Norton Sound Health Corporation, Alaska
    • Renae L. Hobbs, Tennessee
    • Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic Pharmacy, Virginia
    • NovaScripts Pharmacy, Virginia
    • Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
    • St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy – Cincinnati, Ohio

    Around the World

    Globally, Direct Relief shipped over 5.5 million defined daily doses of medication totaling 48,209 lbs., to countries including the following:

    • Syria
    • Togo
    • Malawi
    • Ukraine
    • Ethiopia
    • Marshall Islands
    • Honduras
    • Pakistan

    YEAR TO DATE

    Since January 1, 2025, Direct Relief has delivered 4,211 shipments to 1,288 partner organizations in 54 U.S. states and territories and 55 countries. These shipments included 41.2 million defined daily doses of medication, valued at $260.7 million wholesale, totaling 666,297 lbs.

    In the News

    Santa Barbara-Based Nonprofit Gives Grants to Southern California Search and Rescue Teams – KCLU

    Selena Gomez’s ‘Rare’: The Pop-Up & Valentine’s Shop Supports L.A. Wildfire Relief With Every Purchase – Secret Los Angeles

    Mama’s Kitchen Receives $255K Grant from Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity – MSN

    Help from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is Heading to the Wildfire Impacted Communities in Los Angeles – KEYT

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