Direct Relief Delivering Urgently Needed Medical Aid

September 7, 2011

Today Direct Relief sent a shipment of wound-care supplies, personal hygiene items, masks, gloves, baby products, supplies to treat diabetes, and other medications for patients at Rutland Free Clinic in Rutland, VT. The clinic is coordinating relief efforts with their neighboring communities, the Killington Command Center, the Chittenden Fire Department, and Rutland Flood, a relief group set up in Rutland to collect items needed in outlying towns. Rutland Free Clinic’s facility was damaged due to flooding but it continues to operate and serve those affected while reaching out to support people stranded in neighboring areas.

A shipment of 500 doses of tetanus vaccine for Metropolitan Community Health Services, Inc. in Washington, NC is underway. Merck has generously made tetanus vaccine available to clinics and community health centers affected by Hurricane Irene. Direct Relief will continue to work closely with Merck and other donors to fill requests as they come in.

Direct Relief Reaching Out to Vermont Partners Affected by Irene, Flooding

August 31, 2011

With Hurricane Irene causing heavy flooding in Vermont and North Carolina, communication remains challenging, but Direct Relief’s emergency response team has focused on contacting partners in the states to offer emergency medical aid over the last few days. Direct Relief has offered assistance to Rutland Free Clinic it reported that its basement was flooded, with three feet of water and mud. It has seen an increase in patients needing care and expects to see a rise in upper respiratory illnesses as well as issues among people with chronic conditions such as hypertension, asthma, and diabetes.

Working with the National Association of Community Health Centers, Direct Relief has also reached out to the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA), the Bi-State Primary Care Association (representing Vermont and New Hampshire Community Health Centers) and the Vermont Coalition of Clinics for the Uninsured (representing mostly free clinics) to offer assistance for people affected by Irene.

With the help of NCCHCA, the team has also reached out to Goshen Medical Center and Metropolitan Community Health Services in NC. Both facilities have sustained damage from the flooding and Direct Relief is working to arrange support for their relief efforts.  Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in Ahoskie, NC, used contents from its pre-positioned Hurricane Prep Pack in its emergency response efforts and is working closely with county emergency management services.

Power outages across large areas have limited communications, but several Direct Relief partners have indicated that they not in need of additional aid as of yet. Direct Relief is staying in contact with partners across the states Irene hit to ensure they have the materials they need to help people affected by the storm.

Direct Relief Hurricane Prep Pack Used in North Carolina

August 29, 2011

Direct Relief’s emergency response team has contacted more than 250 partners in 15 states up the East Coast of the U.S. to assess needs following Hurricane Irene’s landfall this weekend. None have requested additional aid, while one Direct Relief partner, Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in Ahoskie, NC, used its Hurricane Prep Pack at health center locations needing urgent supplies. The health center is working closely with local emergency management agencies to assist people affected by Irene.

As part of its annual Hurricane Preparedness Program, Direct Relief distributed 39 packs in the U.S. before hurricane season stared in June. The packs contain enough material to treat 100 people for three to five days for a variety of health issues, from chronic conditions to trauma injuries.

Though not carrying the force it was predicted to have, Irene was the cause of 15 deaths, power outages, and widespread flooding across eight states that displaced tens of thousands of people, according to news reports.

As partners assess the situation and needs of their patients following Irene, Direct Relief will work to provide the medical material they request.

Interactive Map Shows Irene’s Path, Aid at the Ready

August 26, 2011

Direct Relief International today released its interactive map depicting the both real-time data about Hurricane Irene and the organization’s network of partner clinics where hurricane aid has been pre-positioned. The map also includes the locations of additional partners in the Direct Relief safety net support network who can receive aid for people affected by the hurricane.

See the map here 

Direct Relief icons on the map pinpoint partner locations where Hurricane Prep Packs have been delivered before hurricane season as part of the organization’s emergency preparedness initiative. Among the 39 locations receiving Hurricane Prep Packs in 2011, 17 of them stand ready to help in states Irene is expected to hit over the next few days, including Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Evacuations started yesterday in North Carolina.

Storm position and estimated effects are updated continually based on resources from NOAA and the National Weather Service. Background layers, including social vulnerability estimates (how many people could be heavily affected by the storm) are available by clicking on the “Additional Layers” tab.

Currently a Category 2 storm, Hurricane Irene is expected to affect an estimated 55 million people as it moves up the U.S. East Coast, most of which is under hurricane watch, according to news reports. Direct Relief’s Hurricane Prep Packs contain enough material to treat 100 patients for up to five days for a variety of health issues, from trauma injuries to chronic conditions.

Direct Relief’s emergency response team is closely monitoring the situation and is in frequent contact with its more than 250 partners in 15 states, as well as state Primary Care Associations and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) to offer assistance and meet needs as they are identified. Additional aid from Direct Relief’s standing inventory stands ready to help, with several donor companies supporting hurricane response efforts.

Hurricane Prep Packs Stand Ready at 17 Locations in Irene's Path

August 23, 2011

Direct Relief International’s Hurricane Prep Packs stand ready to help at 17 locations in the southeastern U.S., where Hurricane Irene is projected to strike as a Category 3 hurricane. The emergency response team has also contacted partners in Hurricane Irene’s path and is carefully monitoring the storm, which is expected to carry winds of 111 mph Tuesday and up to 131 mph as it increases in strength.

Hurricane Prep Packs are positioned at nine locations in Florida, four in Georgia, three in North Carolina, and one in South Carolina. The packs were delivered in June as part of Direct Relief’s Emergency Preparedness program in the U.S. and contain enough material to treat 100 patients for up to five days following an emergency. Waterproof and easy to transport, the packs enable clinics to treat patients for a variety of needs, from chronic conditions to trauma injuries.

Direct Relief designed the packs following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, based on needs identified during the response. The program has grown each year since its inception in 2007, with a total of 39 partners in the U.S. receiving packs for the 2011 storm season. If not used for an emergency, the packs’ contents can be assimilated into clinic inventories for regular patient care. Direct Relief partners in the Caribbean receive larger preparedness modules suited to their needs, with nine locations stocked this year.

Direct Relief has also reached out to its 208 partners in the states Irene is expected to hit to offer additional assistance as needed, and is carefully monitoring the situation.