As health crises mount in Texas and Louisiana following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, Direct Relief International has sent additional medical aid to partners in the region. These latest shipments bring the total value of hurricane emergency aid in the Gulf States to more than $1.1 million. In Texas and Louisiana, more than 20,000 evacuees remain in shelters, as debris clogs
Read more →Hurricane Gustav took its toll on St. Charles Community Health Center, just outside New Orleans, which we visited on our last day. The main clinic was spared, but the Behavioral Health/Podiatry/Administration building across the street sustained severe structural damage. The roof was picked up, causing leaks and water damage and the fire escape was torn from the building and destroyed.
Read more →This morning we met with Emma Tanner at Capitol City Family Health Center in Baton Rouge. Capitol City moved into a beautiful new facility last December, where it offers primary care, dental services, HIV counseling/testing, immunization, mental health, lab testing, and nutrition education services. If a patient comes in for something like stitches, he can meet with a dentist, complete
Read more →This is a personal “From the Field” story by Direct Relief Employee Katie Lewis, USA Partner Liaison. We traveled about 60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge to visit Ginger Hunt, CEO at the RKM Primary Care Clinic in Clinton, a very rural part of the state. RKM, which opened in March 1999, is one of the newer buildings in the area.
Read more →This is a personal “From the Field” story by Direct Relief Employee Katie Lewis, USA Partner Liaison. We toured New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward in the morning, where much of the devastation from Katrina is still apparent. Crossing the Industrial Canal, we could see the newly constructed levees. It wasn’t hard to imagine how, with enough water, the canal could overflow
Read more →On Monday, Direct Relief International expanded hurricane aid with eight additional emergency consignments of medicines and supplies to Gulf State safety-net clinics serving displaced residents. Monday’s activities, conducted with free logistics and transport support by FedEx, bring the total number of emergency shipments to Texas and Louisiana facilities to 22, valued at almost $450,000 (wholesale). With widespread power outages and residents encouraged to
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