Over the past seven days, Direct Relief has delivered 479 shipments of requested medical aid to 45 U.S. states and territories and 8 countries worldwide.
The shipments contained 23.9 million defined daily doses of medication, including prenatal vitamins, mental health medications, antibiotics, insulin, chronic disease management medications, PPE, and more.
The organization is tracking multiple responses across the globe and will continue to respond.
Ukraine
Since February 24, Direct Relief has provided medical aid to Ukraine weighing more than 1.9 million pounds, or 950 tons, with more on the way.
This week, 11 tons of medical aid departed Direct Relief’s warehouse to northeastern and western Ukrainian cities. The shipments include specifically requested items, such as field medic packs for triage care, cancer medications, antibiotics, cardiovascular medications, vitamins, insulin syringes and needles, and PPE.
Supporting Ukrainian Refugees in Slovakia
Direct Relief staff were in Slovakia this week and visited with Fire Medical, an ambulatory services non-profit located in Gabčíkovo that acts as an outpatient clinic and operates hospital transportation services free-of-charge for Ukrainian refugees.
As they take patients to hospitals each day, the nonprofit logs about 3,728 miles per week in their ambulance. Direct Relief provided the group with a $300,000 grant earlier this year for operating costs and the purchase of medicine, which they must buy privately as government support is unavailable.
Hurricane Ian, One Month Into Recovery
In the four weeks since the storm, more than 247 emergency shipments were sent to Florida, valued at $2.8 million to 80 recipients, and requests for medical aid have departed Direct Relief’s warehouse for health facilities recovering from the storm at a rapid pace.
Mental Health Funding for U.S. Free Clinics
This week, awards were announced for 11 free clinics in three states that will be expanding mental health services to their patients. Community Routes: Access to Mental Healthcare, a partnership between Direct Relief, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, and Teva Pharmaceuticals, awarded $825,000 in grant funding for 11 free and charitable clinics addressing mental health across Florida, New Jersey and California.
The grant awardees were selected for their innovative and practical approaches to mental health care, which include efforts to expand healthcare access for underserved and vulnerable patients experiencing mental and behavioral health issues, with a focus on depression and anxiety. The announcement was made at the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics Symposium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT
WORLDWIDE
This week, Direct Relief shipped more than 16.9 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.
Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:
- Ukraine
- Tunisia
- Honduras
- Egypt
- Togo
- Sri Lanka
- Ecuador
- Dominican Republic
UNITED STATES
Direct Relief delivered 464 shipments containing 7 million doses of medications over the past week to organizations including the following:
- Agape Clinic, Texas
- St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy, Ohio
- Nurses Global Outreach ICT Street Team, Kansas
- Community Health of East Tennessee, Inc., Tennessee
- Pancare of Florida, Inc. Malone, Florida
- The Health Hut, Louisiana
- Compassionate Care of Shelby County, Ohio
- St. Joseph Social Welfare Board, Missouri
- Hope Clinic and Care Center, Wisconsin
- Health Access for All Inc. dba Angeles Community Health Center, California
YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)
Since January 1, 2022, Direct Relief has delivered 16.7K shipments to 2,130 healthcare providers in 53 U.S. states and territories and 87 countries.
These shipments contained 496.6 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.5 billion (wholesale), totaling 10.6 million lbs.
IN THE NEWS
- Austin Public Health secures fentanyl overdose treatment as city, county declare public health crisis – Austin American Statesman: Austin Public Health has secured 9,900 doses of naloxone hydrochloride, a nasal spray that reduces the effects of an opioid overdose, from the nonprofit Direct Relief.
- Travis County secures nearly 10,000 doses of life-saving overdose drug naloxone – KUT.org: Travis County has secured a bulk order of the life-saving drug naloxone in an effort to prevent opioid deaths. The shipment comes after the county issued an emergency declaration triggered by a record-high number of overdoses related to fentanyl last year… The doses were provided to the county by the nonprofit humanitarian aid group Direct Relief and will be distributed locally by the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance.
- Condado Austin-Travis recibe miles de dosis de naloxona para combatir el aumento de casos de sobredosis – Univision: De acuerdo con autoridades, Direct Relief, una organización de ayuda humanitaria, hizo una donación única de 9,900 dosis de naloxona a Texas Harm Reduction Alliance.
- Utuado communities create their own health clinic after lack of access to basic services in the mountain area – El Nuevo Dia: The community movement generated a wave of solidarity from non-profit institutions, including Direct Relief, which provided a $600,000 grant to remodel and expand the clinic.
