Over the past week, Direct Relief has shipped 592 shipments of requested medical aid to 48 U.S. states and territories and 12 countries worldwide. The shipments contained 7.1 million defined daily doses of medication.
Hurricane Erin Strengthens in Atlantic
Tropical Storm Erin has intensified into the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season. Forecasts indicate further strengthening over the weekend, with the potential to reach major Category 4 status. Current models show Erin passing north of Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands, bringing dangerous swells, rip currents, and squally conditions to parts of the northern Caribbean. While a direct U.S. landfall remains uncertain, forecasters continue to monitor for potential track shifts toward the East Coast or Bermuda in the coming week.
Beyond the immediate threat of injury and loss of life, hurricanes often disrupt access to healthcare, clean water, electricity, and essential medications. Power outages can compromise the storage of temperature-sensitive therapies, such as insulin, while flooding and infrastructure damage can limit the ability of clinics and hospitals to operate. For people with chronic conditions, these disruptions can quickly become life-threatening without timely medical support.
To support communities in need, Direct Relief developed the largest charitable, medically focused hurricane preparedness program in the world, pre-positioning hurricane preparedness modules at 70 health centers across the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and Puerto Rico, along with 13 more in the Caribbean and Central America (including one ready in Florida for potential deployment to Haiti) and two in the South Pacific. Each module contains a full range of essential medical items—including chronic disease medications, inhalers, antibiotics, epinephrine, wound care supplies, and other emergency health products—designed to support 350 patients for a 30-day period in the event of infrastructure damage and power loss.
Established in 2006, the Hurricane Preparedness Program supports dozens of safety-net clinics with waterproof modules and strategically pre-positioned aid to enable rapid response immediately after a storm. By deploying aid from its Santa Barbara warehouse in coordination with local partners, Direct Relief ensures healthcare providers can quickly resume or continue operations following hurricane impacts.
With Erin now a hurricane and expected to intensify further, Direct Relief remains on heightened alert—tracking developments and ensuring the organization’s operational capacity, logistics, and partner networks are fully prepared to respond. Further updates will be provided as conditions evolve.
Direct Relief Awarded for Health Center Support
Last week, Direct Relief was recognized for its work supporting a Glendale, California-based health center.
Comprehensive Community Health Centers presented Direct Relief with the National Community Health Center Week Stakeholder Appreciation award during the health center’s community distribution event.
CCHC operates six community health centers, including a mobile clinic, in metropolitan Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley with locations in Glendale, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, North Hollywood, Sunland, and Arleta.
Direct Relief has supported the health center since 2008, and has provided the center with more than $219,000 in medical aid, including support for displaced people after the Los Angeles-area wildfires in January 2025. Direct Relief has also provided the health center with $162,500 in financial assistance to support ongoing work.
Ukrainian Groups Visit Direct Relief
This week, Direct Relief met with several groups focused on health services to Ukrainians.
On Thursday, Direct Relief hosted the Protez Foundation, a U.S.-registered nonprofit founded in 2022 to provide high-quality prosthetic care and rehabilitation for people who have lost limbs due to war, accidents, or medical conditions. Protez combines U.S.-based expertise with on-the-ground operations in Ukraine, delivering custom prosthetics, physical therapy, occupational rehabilitation, and mental health support. The organization has provided over 1,600 of prosthetic devices free of charge, serving close to 750 patients, and the Foundation has trained over 100 specialists, opening three clinics – one in the U.S. and two in Ukraine. Several children who had received prosthetics from the group also attended the visit.
Direct Relief has provided the Protez Foundation with nearly $5 million in funding enabling the fitting of hundreds of advanced prosthetic devices, the expansion of rehabilitation services in Ukraine, and the training of local specialists to ensure sustainable, high-quality care for amputees.
Also visiting alongside the Protez Foundation were members of the Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco. Direct Relief has worked through the Consulate General to provide a $150,000 grant to the Ukrainian American House for expansions of its refugee mental health program to reach more Ukrainian refugees in Sacramento and Napa Counties. The program, launched in January 2024 with the Public Health Institute and California Department of Public Health’s Office of Refugee Health, provides culturally and linguistically competent counseling, peer support groups, and clinical referrals.
Earlier in the week, representatives from Unbroken National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv, Ukraine, also visited Direct Relief. Unbroken has provided services to more than 19,000 people since February 2022. Direct Relief has provided more than $4 million in financial support to Unbroken as well as more than $5.2 million in medical aid, including surgical supplies, essential medicines, diagnostic tools, and prosthetics.
Operational Snapshot
Around the World
YEAR-TO-DATE
Since January 1, 2025, Direct Relief has delivered 18.4K shipments to 2,349 partner organizations in 54 U.S. states and territories and 85 countries. These shipments included 169 million defined daily doses of medication, valued at $1.3 billion wholesale, totaling 2.7 million lbs.
In the News
Amy Weaver Begins as New CEO of Direct Relief – Montecito Journal
Santa Barbara Airport Gives Passengers a Week of Perks During Special Appreciation Event – KEYT
