More Than $165,000 in Needed Aid Delivered to Chile

Strong Partnerships Facilitate Relief Effort

April 1, 2010

Maximizing its partnerships with corporations, nongovernmental, and governmental organizations, Direct Relief continues to supply needed materials to Chile to help people affected by the recent earthquake.

Direct Relief has facilitated a large shipment of more than 48,000 bottles of nutritional products, including oral rehydration solutions and adult nutritionals, donated by Abbott affiliates in Chile and Ecuador for distribution to a hospitals, clinics, and shelters in the hardest-hit areas. Valued at more than $165,000 (wholesale), these requested materials join the more than $112,000 (wholesale) of products and medicines previously sent to Chile for earthquake relief.

Fundación Educativa de Desarrollo Economico y Social (FEDES), our partner in Chile, is distributing the needed aid during its ongoing outreach trips to temporary camps and health facilities caring for people affected by the earthquake and tsunami. FEDES reports that several fishing villages, including San Pedro, La Pesca, Iloca, Duau, and Lincanten, have been heavily damaged or completely destroyed. Despite their losses, residents are expressing gratitude for the help they’re receiving. In the Maule region, FEDES says that several of the larger public hospitals are “uninhabitable,” and the Chilean army has established temporary field hospitals where patients continue to receive care.

Direct Relief staff has been in contact with the head pharmacist at the Chilean Ministry of Health (MOH) in Santiago as well as regional MOH offices to identify the most-needed medicines. Covidien, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnson have also offered donations of needed products from their affiliates in Chile and nearby countries, a priority because it expedites the delivery of medical aid to the people who urgently need it.

More Than $112,000 in Medical Aid Airlifted to Chile

FedEx donates freight for 17-pallet shipment

March 10, 2010

Direct Relief has airlifted more than $112,000 (wholesale) in medical material aid to the Education Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FEDES) to support care for people affected by the recent 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile. FedEx has donated the airfreight of the 17-pallet consignment, which included a variety of surgical supplies, materials for wound-care, and personal care products, all specifically requested for the earthquake response.

Though infrastructure in Chile is strong, more than 1.5 million people have been displaced following the earthquake, according to news reports. FEDES, a nonprofit organization that provides medical, educational, and social support in Chile, has requested the material aid for health facilities in Curicó, a town in the heavily affected region of Maule.

Collaborating with governmental and nongovernmental agencies in Chile, Direct Relief staff is working to provide needed medical material aid to help people injured and displaced by the earthquake.

Direct Relief Commits Up to $100,000 Cash for Chile Response

Standing inventory of $57 million also tapped to provide medical material aid

March 4, 2010 

Direct Relief International has committed up to $100,000 in cash and is drawing upon its standing medical material inventory of $57 million (wholesale) to respond to medical needs following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile.

Through its partner the Education Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FEDES) in Chile, Direct Relief is providing medical aid to the General Hospital of Curicó, which collapsed in the earthquake. The hospital, which is located in the heavily affected region of Maule, has established temporary facilities in a nearby school and in a tent hospital. The hospital has requested a variety of materials, including surgical instruments, medical supplies, and personal hygiene items for displaced families.

FedEx, a strong supporter of Direct Relief’s emergency response work, is airlifting the critically needed aid to Chile free of charge.

Direct Relief is also sourcing needed materials from medical product donors to support partners providing medical care for the thousands of people affected by the earthquake. Dedicated corporate supporters Abbott, BD, Procter & Gamble, and Covidien, which have operations in Chile, have offered to donate products for the relief effort directly from their local warehouses. Eli Lilly has also committed $25,000 in support of the earthquake response.

Aid Offered to Chile As Earthquake Response Develops

March 1, 2010

As the situation evolves since the 8.8-magnitude earthquake, Direct Relief International has been in close contact with several partner organizations to offer assistance. Those organizations include a range of governmental and nongovernmental agencies responding to the emergency, in which 708 people have been killed and more than 2 million have been left homeless:

• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional office of the World Health Organization
• Fundación Educativa de Desarrollo Economico y Social (FEDES), a nonprofit organization based in Santiago that works to better the conditions of the nation's poorest hospitals and medical institutions as one of its programs
• Oficina Nacional de Emergencias e Información (ONEMI), a Chilean government agency dedicated to the prevention, organization, coordination and information relative to natural disasters
• The Chilean Consulate office in Los Angeles
• The Archdiocese of Lima, Peru, a trusted partner in earthquake response, as proven after the 2007 Peru earthquake.
• The Hawaii Primary Care Association, which was in the tsunami-warning area immediately after the earthquake struck.

Several leading healthcare manufacturers contacted over the weekend have offered support, including Abbott, Ansell Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Covidien, Henry Schein, Johnson & Johnson and The Allergan Foundation.

Direct Relief is staying in close contact with emergency responders to provide medical aid as needed to help the people of Chile affected by the earthquake.

Aid Offered for Chile After 8.8-Magnitude Quake Strikes Today

February 27, 2010 

In response to the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile early Saturday morning, Direct Relief International has offered assistance to Chilean authorities, emergency relief organizations, and U.S.-based partners working in Chile.

In the immediate aftermath of an emergency, search and rescue operations and damage assessments are essential priorities to save lives and organize appropriate response efforts.

As search and rescue operations and initial damage assessments are performed by Chilean authorities, Direct Relief will continue to liaise with Chilean organizations and with colleague international organizations with operations in Chile. Direct Relief is preparing to respond based on long experience to earthquakes, including the ongoing effort in Haiti, but will coordinate with local actors to ensure any response is properly targeted.

News reports indicated that 122 people have been killed and structures have been damaged in Santiago, the capital, which is 200 miles from the epicenter in Concepcion; Chile President Michelle Bachelet has declared a “state of catastrophe.” A tsunami warning has been issued for Peru, Ecuador, and Hawaii. Direct Relief is monitoring the situation as assessments are conducted.