More Than $1.3 Million in Needed Medical Aid Sent to Haiti
February 26, 2010
More than $1.3 million in medical aid has been dispatched over the past week to partners in Haiti caring for people in need. As the rainy season approaches, preventing disease and infection among those living in crowded camps and in flimsy shelters is a growing health concern.
Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), which operates medical clinics in Haiti, received this week a shipment of needed medical aid valued at more than $1.1 million (wholesale). The consignment included needed antibiotics, analgesics, wound-care products, IV equipment, and slings and braces for broken bones. CAM staff is making medical mission trips to remote villages to care for people injured in the earthquake who don’t otherwise have access to effective medical treatment.
Child Hope International (CHI), which operates an orphanage and an adjoining clinic in Haiti, is a new partner to Direct Relief. CHI is receiving a consignment valued at $51,740 (wholesale) of medical material to support its care for orphaned Haitian children which includes antibiotics, surgical supplies, anesthetics, and other pharmaceuticals.
Physicians from Sri Sathya Sai, a partner based in India with satellite locations around the world, are staffing a medical camp in Haiti to care for the injured and displaced. Direct Relief has supported their efforts with a shipment of nearly $165,000 (wholesale) in medical material, including antibiotics, medicines to treat asthma, analgesics, anesthetics, and oral rehydration products, and more.
As the recovery phase of the earthquake response continues, Direct Relief is committed to providing the medical materials our partners need to provide quality healthcare for the thousands of Haitians whose lives and health continue to be affected by the earthquake.
Direct Relief Delivers Critically Needed Insulin to Haiti
Product requires tight temperature controls, careful handling
February 18, 2010
Direct Relief delivered on Monday a total of 6,000 vials of insulin valued at $240,318 (wholesale) to two Haiti facilities treating diabetic patients: Partners in Health (PIH) and Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS).
Specifically requested by physicians from PIH and HAS, this donation is especially significant for the many people with diabetes in need of insulin in Haiti. Insulin requires specialized shipping a tightly controlled temperature range from its point of origin in the United States to cold-storage facilities in Haiti hospitals, which makes it challenging to handle. Direct Relief’s operations and program staff at its Santa Barbara headquarters coordinated efforts closely with staff on the ground in Haiti to ensure that this delivery was received immediately upon arrival at the Port-au-Prince airport and was dispatched promptly to hospitals.
Serious health issues arise for insulin-dependent people with diabetes who do not have an adequate supply of insulin to manage their blood sugar levels, including diabetic ketoacidosis, which can lead to coma or death if untreated. This generous donation was provided by Eli Lilly and Company, which manufactures these insulin products.
Direct Relief has recently expanded its capacity to deliver temperature-sensitive medicines to better serve the medical needs of the people of Haiti, and others in great need around the world. Direct Relief constantly works to expand its ability to deliver needed medicines for vulnerable people.
Staff in Haiti Supporting Short- and Long-Term Recovery
February 12, 2010
Direct Relief staff in Haiti has been pursuing all channels to help Haitians recover from last month’s devastating earthquake, and is working to fill immediate and long-term needs. This week, the team has:
- Delivered by helicopter a shipment of medical aid to Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, north of Port-au-Prince. The well-established hospital has a surgical and orthopedic practice, and has been treating many patients injured in the earthquake.
- Delivered three truckloads of much-needed intravenous solutions and supplies (donated by Baxter) to St. Damien Hospital, which has been caring for adult and pediatric patients.
- Assisted Partners in Health (PIH) with inventory control and resupply of needed materials, which allows PIH staff to focus on patient care.
- Participated in the Disability Working Group, a consortium of governmental and nongovernmental agencies that is establishing a long-term care strategy for the estimated 2,000 to 4,000 amputees since the earthquake.
Direct Relief staff has also been identifying potential new partners to receive medical aid, including the University of Miami field hospital; the Quesquaya School, which is operating as a logistics hub for medical staff and supplies; Centre de Sante Bernard Mevs; and La Hopital Notre Dame de Lourdes.
From its secure warehouse in Port-au-Prince, Direct Relief continues to deliver medical aid to partners as they specifically request.
Direct Relief Staff in Haiti Delivering Medical Aid to Partners
February 9, 2010
This week, Direct Relief staff in Haiti has been distributing critically needed medical material aid from its secure warehouse outside Port-au-Prince to partners caring for people injured in last month’s earthquake.
On Monday, the team disbursed medical aid to partners Real Medicine Foundation and Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT), and delivered a truckload of specifically requested materials and medicines to St. Damien Hospital. With partners operating at capacity to care for patients, Direct Relief’s carefully targeted deliveries save healthcare providers valuable time managing inventory.
Direct Relief staff in Haiti is also working to identify additional new partners who are caring for the earthquake injured but are lack needed resources. Today the team is in Leogane to complete an assessment of several hospitals it has been in contact with.
More than $16.3 Million in Medical Material Arrives at Direct Relief’s Haiti Warehouse
Staff on the ground managing inventory, logistics to equip partners caring for Haitians in need
February 5, 2010
Direct Relief staff in Haiti received this week more than 16 tons of medical material aid, which will be managed and allocated to partners through Direct Relief’s secure warehouse outside Port-au-Prince.
Valued at more than $16.3 million, the medical material includes a range of critically needed items, from surgical supplies and equipment to antibiotics and pain medications. With partner healthcare providers focused on caring for their many patients, Direct Relief’s expertise in inventory management provides invaluable support for their work. Direct Relief staff on the ground can carefully allocate aid to meet partners’ specific needs, saving them time and effort in processing and storing bulk shipments.
Direct Relief staff will be in Haiti for an extended period to receive, process, and deliver aid to our partners so they can continue to care for the many Haitians who have been injured in the quake. The secure warehouse is fully equipped to receive large shipments, with forklifts and a loading dock.
While news reports have indicated that aid delivery has been hampered into Haiti, Direct Relief has met this challenge through collaborations with corporate supporters and partner teams. Corporations like FedEx and Baxter have facilitated the delivery of large aid shipments to help resupply partners’ stocks, while many carefully tailored deliveries through trusted longtime partners have placed medical aid directly into the hands of healthcare providers caring for Haitians in need.
Two New Aid Shipments En Route to Haiti
Direct Relief staff in Port-au-Prince managing logistics, supplies to partners
February 2, 2010
Two new shipments are en route to Haiti, destined for Direct Relief partners Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) and Justinian University Hospital (JUH). Located in Deschapelles and Cap-Haitien, respectively, these facilities are treating large numbers of people injured in the earthquake, and are receiving medical aid they have specifically requested to continue their crucial work.
HAS is a full-service hospital with an orthopedics practice, which has made it integral to the earthquake response. It is receiving more than $266,000 (wholesale) of targeted medical aid, including pain medications, antibiotics, medicines to treat diabetes, and more. Founded in 1957, HAS serves a patient base of about 300,000 people on a regular basis. North of Port-au-Prince, it has received an influx of patients since the earthquake.
JUH, on the north coast of Haiti in Cap-Haitien, has also received a large number of patients injured in the earthquake as people have migrated out of the damage zone. It is receiving a consignment valued at more than $66,000 (wholesale), containing surgical supplies, wound-care supplies, antibiotics, and other needed medicines to support its expanded patient care.
Direct Relief staff members are on the ground in Haiti managing logistics and resupply on behalf of our partners there. This assistance allows partner healthcare providers to focus on treating patients, and means they get the supplies, medicines and equipment they need in an expedited manner.