Over the past seven days, Direct Relief has delivered 463 shipments of requested medical aid to 43 U.S. states and territories and 11 countries worldwide.
The shipments contained 14.3 million defined daily doses of medication, including antibiotics, antihistamines, cardiovascular medications, and more.
The organization is tracking multiple disasters across the globe, and will continue to respond.
Pakistan Flooding
As is common after flooding, local health officials in Pakistan have reported a spike in vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria. Skin infections and various gastrointestinal diseases are another primary concern due to exposure to stagnant water and unhygienic living conditions, especially for those who have been forced to relocate to displacement camps.
In response, Direct Relief is preparing a 23-pallet shipment which contains chronic care medications, trauma care supplies, hygiene kits, anti-seizure medications, PPE, and prenatal vitamins. These supplies will be distributed to public health facilities providing care to the 33 million people that were impacted by the widespread flooding.
The shipment was the latest in a series to support the local health system, including shipments of diabetes therapies and supplies through the Life for a Child program, which connects children with Type 1 diabetes with charitable insulin and diabetes management and testing supplies.
UKRAINE RESPONSE
Since February 24, Direct Relief has provided medical aid to Ukraine weighing more than 1.8 million pounds, or 900 tons, with more on the way.
Over the past seven days, shipments including nutritional supplements, cardiovascular medications, antibiotics and more departed Direct Relief’s warehouse in California bound for Ukraine.
This week, a third ambulance donated by Direct Relief arrived in Ukraine to support healthcare providers in the region.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Direct Relief has provided over 750 emergency medical backpacks to first responders providing healthcare to patients and evacuees.
Operational Snapshot
WORLDWIDE
This week, Direct Relief shipped more than 13.2 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.
Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:
- Sri Lanka
- Tajikistan
- Sudan
- Lebanon
- Haiti
- Barbados
- India
- Pakistan
- St. Lucia
- Ukraine
UNITED STATES
Direct Relief delivered 450 shipments containing 1.1M doses of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:
- Community Care Center, North Carolina
- Lifecycles Health Services, Inc., New Jersey
- St. Petersburg Free Clinic, Florida
- Faith Family Medical Clinic, Tennessee
- Steve Rummler HOPE Network, Minnesota
- Feed my Sheep Free Children’s Clinic, Texas
- Acacia Medical Mission, Texas
- Open Door Health Center, Florida
- Bee Busy Wellness Center, Texas
- TOMAGWA HealthCare Ministries, Texas
YEAR TO DATE (GLOBAL)
Since January 1, 2022, Direct Relief has delivered 13.6K shipments to 1,910 healthcare providers in 53 U.S. states and territories and 86 countries.
These shipments contained 410.7M defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.3B (wholesale), totaling 9.8M lb.
IN THE NEWS
- Thomas Tighe on Disaster Prep. In The US – Cheddar News: Direct Relief President and CEO, Thomas Tighe, discusses the importance of disaster preparation in the US.
- 5 years later: How disaster response has changed since Hurricane Maria – Action News 5: “Ivonne Rodríguez-Wiewall, executive advisor for Direct Relief in Puerto Rico, joined Action News 5′s Andrew Douglas at the digital desk to talk about what challenges still exist and how Direct Relief has improved power reliability in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria.”
- US based charity sends essential medications to Sri Lanka – Colombo Gazette: “Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian organization, said that more than 70 pallets of requested medication departed for Sri Lanka last week, to bolster hospitals and clinics providing care in the wake of shortages of essential medications.”
