Direct Relief International Provides Largest Domestic Emergency Relief Effort in 57-Year History
SANTA BARBARA, CA (September 06, 2005) - On Tuesday, Sept. 6, Direct Relief International will send an emergency shipment of more than $8.9 million of medicines and medical supplies (wholesale value) to community clinics and 'special needs' shelters in Louisiana and Mississippi. This weekend, the number of large 'special needs' shelters in Louisiana, established to care for evacuees needing medical attention, was expanded from nine to 23 shelters.
The Tuesday shipment is Direct Relief's seventh emergency shipment to clinics, shelters, and other health facilities in the region that are treating Hurricane Katrina victims and an increasing number of evacuees. The Tuesday shipment will constitute Direct Relief's largest single emergency domestic relief shipment since the organization was founded in 1948.
The 22 pallet shipment, totaling approximately 8.85 tons of supplies, will be received at two newly formed distribution centers, in Baton Rouge by the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy and in Jackson by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
The shipment consists of a wide range of critical pharmaceuticals (antibiotics, anti-hypertensives, and diabetes medications), basic medical supplies, and specifically requested personal care products (particularly baby-care products) to treat patients and re-supply depleted inventories.
Initial emergency shipments, through Saturday, contained over $103,000 of medicines and supplies to five safety net clinics and one emergency shelter treating evacuees in Louisiana and Arkansas, including The Lafayette Clinic, Louisiana's oldest community clinic. The initial shipments were sent by overnight air without charge by FedEx.
An emergency cash grant of $15,000 was also provided to one of the Lafayette community clinics to respond to urgent needs as its staff of volunteer medical practitioners work around the clock to treat patients.
As the extent of the hurricane and flood damage became evident early last week, Direct Relief participated in an emergency conference call of the Partnership for Medical Quality Donations (PQMD), an association of 24 major health care companies and humanitarian organization. Direct Relief's Vice President is the current chair of PQMD and convened the call to foster coordination and avoid duplication of effort among member companies and organizations as they respond.
On Saturday, Direct Relief arranged for corporate donor New Jersey-based BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) to drop-ship a large emergency supply of products to treat diabetic patients being treated by a Eunice, Louisiana clinic that had requested assistance from Direct Relief.
Assistance in progress
Direct Relief has received several additional requests for targeted assistance from individual facilities and is preparing orders to ship on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning to five hospitals, health centers, and special needs shelters in Gulfport and Picayune, Mississippi and in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Direct Relief will continue to work to support individual facilities and at the statewide level in the affected areas. The organization's medical director, pharmacist, and program staff are consulting with FEMA, the Louisiana Hospital Association, the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, the Louisiana and Arkansas Associations of Free Clinics, Mississippi Emergency Management Association, and individual shelters and health facilities. Direct Relief staff has been in direct communication with approximately 50 health facilities throughout the region and is responding to specific requests for assistance as they are received.
Direct Relief is also working to supply emergency response teams planning to deploy from the West Coast to assist in the response effort.
As public health assessments and medical needs are aggregated, Direct Relief will continue respond to targeted requests based on specific needs.
Designated Katrina donations - Strict Policy on Spending only for Katrina Assistance
As of Sunday, Sept. 4, Direct Relief International has received $266,000 in cash donations, designated specifically for hurricane relief efforts. In accordance with Direct Relief's strict donor designation policy, 100% of all Hurricane Katrina contributions will be spent only on activities directly related to helping people affected by Hurricane Katrina. None of the contributions will be used to pay current staff members or administrative or other expenses the organization intended to incur prior to the Hurricane. Contributions will cover direct expenses such as shipping specifically requested items to health facilities, purchasing medicines that are requested but unavailable in Direct Relief's inventory, and emergency cash grants to health facilities treating evacuee patients.
Direct Relief International
Founded in 1948, Direct Relief International is a non-profit, non-sectarian humanitarian assistance organization based in Santa Barbara, California providing medical assistance to impoverished areas and in response to humanitarian emergencies. For 57 years, Direct Relief has provided medical material assistance in the form of pharmaceuticals, supplies, and new and refurbished medical equipment to over 3,000 charitable health facilities worldwide and within the United States. In 2004, the organization provided more than $122 million (wholesale value) in medicines, supplies and equipment to health projects in 54 countries, enough provisions to keep hundreds of local health professionals and clinics productively engaged and provide full courses of medical treatment for over 20 million people. Direct Relief is licensed under California State Law as a wholesale pharmacy and conducts a free drug distribution program that has furnished over $12 million in medicines through the network of safety net clinics in California that serve low-income persons without insurance. The organization's website is www.directrelief.org. Direct Relief is a "four star" charity by Charity Navigator, is a member of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, and has been ranked consistently as among the most efficient nonprofit organizations in the United States by Forbes magazine and other independent evaluators.
Media Contact: Juliana Minsky, 805/962-3700
GENERAL INFORMATION: Direct Relief International (805) 964-4767