Over the past week, Direct Relief has shipped 769 shipments of requested medical aid to 47 U.S. states and territories and 14 countries worldwide. The shipments contained 11.5 million defined daily doses of medication.
Community Health Fair in Puerto Rico Expands Care
Direct Relief supported a community health fair on the island of Vieques last week, and the event provided critical services to patients. Vieques is located off of Puerto Rico’s eastern coast, and has limited access to health services because of its remote location.
Direct Relief has supported healthcare on the island since Hurricane Maria, including to health center HealthProMed, which operates a number of primary care clinics in Puerto Rico, including on Vieques. The health center offered primary care and preventive services to patients as part of the health fair, along with health nonprofit La Fondita de Jesús.
Cancer screening services were provided, including mammograms, and psychological services focused on cancer patients also took place.
Telemedicine Unit Rolls into Action in India
Last month, flooding in Kerala, India, led to a devastating landslide that is believed to have killed more than 400 people and injured and displaced many more.
Amrita Hospital, located in Kerala, deployed a Direct Relief-funded medical bus, equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and treatment facilities, including a new satellite dish, and the vehicle has served as a key mobile health facility for those impacted by the landslide.
Direct Relief has a long history of support to Amrita, dating back to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, after which Direct Relief funded the organization’s first mobile outreach bus. Amrita used the vehicle to conduct medical mobile outreach for the next 19 years, providing services to hundreds of thousands of people around the country.
In 2022, the organization requested funds to build and run a mobile telemedicine unit. This medical bus was designed to enable Amrita Hospital to extend the reach of its health services, to run medical outreach to remote communities without access to regular health services, and respond to disasters, including last month’s flooding and landslide.
Midwife Kits Arrive in Chad
Midwife kits to support safe births recently arrived in Chad. The kits, which contain 61 essential items midwives can use to help women deliver, will be used in rural health outposts located more than 300 miles from the country’s capital.
This week, Direct Relief also shipped a requested delivery of essential medicines and medical supplies to Chad’s Ministry of Public Health, including cancer therapies, treatments for infections and chronic conditions, wound care items, and protective gear for frontline health providers.
Telehealth Effort Connects Patients to Care During Fire
A Direct Relief-funded resilient power project has allowed a local health center to provide critical health services to patients impacted by California’s largest wildfire.
Direct Relief funded the installation of a solar microgrid at the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast in Santa Maria, California, and the facility also serves as a telehealth hub that covers a large portion of the northern part of Santa Barbara County, much of which is rural.
During the Gifford Fire, which began on August 1 and has burned more than 131,000 acres, the health center was able to provide telehealth services for patients who would have had appointments delayed or canceled due to fire-driven health center closures in the rural community of New Cuyama.
“We have been heavily relying on Skyway Telehealth to maintain access for our Cuyama patients and those displaced during the New Cuyama clinic closure,” said Victoria Wood, the clinic’s chief experience officer.
Dozens of visits that would normally take place in Cuyama were shifted to Skyway providers via telehealth, ensuring patients could continue their care uninterrupted.
“This has been a critical lifeline, particularly for patients managing chronic conditions who simply cannot afford gaps in treatment,” Wood said.”The Power for Health initiative at Skyway has been a key part of making this possible by strengthening the infrastructure we’ve depended on during this crisis.”
“We’re deeply grateful for your ongoing partnership and support as we navigate both the immediate impacts of the fire and the longer-term needs of our patients and staff,” Wood said.
Operational Snapshot
Around the World
YEAR-TO-DATE
Since January 1, 2025, Direct Relief has delivered 19.1K shipments to 2,373 partner organizations in 54 U.S. states and territories and 85 countries. These shipments included 180 million defined daily doses of medication, valued at $1.4 billion wholesale, totaling 2.8 million lbs.
In the News
20 Years After Katrina, Collaboration Matters – Fast Company
Why The Non-Linear Career Path Is Your Friend—And Other Advice From The 50 Over 50 – Forbes
County Honors Emergency Managers After Busy Month Including Gifford Fire – Noozhawk
