Operational Update: Solar Support for Mississippi Clinics, Continued Earthquake Relief

A solar power unit from Footprint Project supplied electricity to a temporary clinic set up by Delta Health Center in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after tornadoes devastated the clinic's health facility in March 2023. Direct Relief supported the Footprint Project with a $250k emergency operating grant to deploy alternative power solutions after disasters. (Project Footprint photo)
By Maeve Ozimec

Over the past seven days, Direct Relief has delivered 419 shipments of requested medical aid to 43 U.S. states and territories and nine countries worldwide.

The shipments contained 10.4 million defined daily doses of medication, including insulin, antibiotics, overdose-reversing meds, and more.

Turkey-Syria Earthquake Response

Eighty tons of medical aid has been staged for a charter flight to Turkey next week, the latest infusion of support for the region recovering from last month’s catastrophic earthquakes.

Sinan Kuzum, Turkey’s Consul-General in Los Angeles, visited Direct Relief’s Santa Barbara, California, warehouse this week before the shipment departed. Kuzum received a tour of Direct Relief’s warehouse and met with staff for a briefing on the organization’s earthquake response.

Learn more about the 80-ton chartered flight here.

Aid Arrives in Syria After Charter

Shipments of requested medical aid are received by Independent Doctors Association in Syria. (Courtesy photos)

Also, this week, the Independent Doctors Association and Syrian American Medical Society in Syria received shipments of requested medications and supplies donated by Direct Relief that were part of a 75-ton charter flight of medical aid. The contents will be distributed to local patients in communities recently impacted by the destructive earthquakes.

Mississippi, Alabama tornado response

In response to several devastating tornadoes this past weekend, Direct Relief has sent or is preparing to send 19 shipments of emergency medicines and medical supplies in response to requests from health centers in Mississippi and Alabama. Direct Relief staff anticipates further requests for shipments over the next few days.

Shipments of requested medicines and supplies depart for tornado-impacted communities of Mississippi and Alabama. (Brianna Newport/Direct Relief)

Additionally, a solar power unit from Footprint Project supplied electricity to a temporary clinic set up by Delta Health Center in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after tornadoes devastated the clinic’s health facility. Direct Relief supported the Footprint Project with a $250k emergency operating grant to deploy alternative power solutions after disasters.

A solar power unit from Footprint Project supplied electricity to a temporary clinic set up by Delta Health Center in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after tornadoes devastated the clinic’s health facility in March 2023. (Project Footprint photo)
A solar power unit from Footprint Project supplied electricity to a temporary clinic set up by Delta Health Center in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after tornadoes devastated the clinic’s health facility in March 2023. Direct Relief supported the Footprint Project with a $250k emergency operating grant to deploy alternative power solutions after disasters. (Project Footprint photo)

Direct Relief’s Ruth Smarinsky, PharmD, Receives Prestigious Award

Ruth Arnold Smarinsky, PharmD, Senior Advisor for Direct Relief, was awarded the Hugo H. Schaefer Award this week by the American Pharmacists Association. The award recognizes those who “have made outstanding contributions to society, the professional of pharmacy, and the American Pharmacists Association.” Smarinksy has devoted her career to providing access to quality pharmaceutical care for underserved patients.

Since joining Direct Relief, Smarinsky has been intimately involved in developing multiple programs, including hurricane preparedness kits, naloxone distribution, and more. Learn more about the award here.

Material aid for Ukraine

This week, requested medications and supplies were received by several groups, including Kharkiv Renovation Fund and distributed to local healthcare providers.

Requested medical aid donated by Direct Relief was received by Kharkiv Renovation Fund this week. (Courtesy photo)

Since Feb. 24, 2022, Direct Relief has provided medical aid to Ukraine weighing more than 2.6 million pounds, or 1,300 tons, with more on the way.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 9.5 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 389 shipments containing over 5 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 3,789 shipments to 1,273 healthcare providers in 53 U.S. states and territories and 52 countries.

These shipments contained 154.9 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $416.4 million (wholesale), totaling 2.2 million lbs.

In The News

Yemen Aid to Open Two Oxygen Plants in Yemen in Partnership with Direct Relief – YemenOnline: “Yemen Aid, a Yemeni-American humanitarian organization that responds to the crisis in Yemen, announced that they had received a grant from Direct Relief to support Yemen’s strained limited oxygen supply by building two oxygen plants in two needed provinces in Yemen.”

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