Direct Relief USA provides medical supplies and assistance to community health clinics during emergencies to ensure they can continue providing essential healthcare. They pre-position supplies at clinics and have swift response efforts involving local partners to distribute pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and cash. As a result of partnerships with safety net agencies and healthcare manufacturers, as well as experience in distribution, Direct Relief is able to offer targeted and timely emergency response.

1. Emergency Preparedness & Response
BOLSTERING CLINICS IN TIMES OF CRISIS
REUTERS/TOMAS BRAVO, COURTESY OF ALERTNET.ORG
Direct Relief USA provides targeted assistance to help community clinics and health centers prepare for and respond to
emergencies. Safety net clinics deliver essential healthcare services when disaster strikes, so Direct Relief pre-positions
medical supplies at clinics to ensure that they are immediately available when an emergency occurs. Preparedness
programs include hurricane prep packs, Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) backpacks, and H1N1 and seasonal flu prevention
and treatment products.
Response efforts—which include distribution of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and cash—are swift, involve
local partners, and are coordinated with other nonprofit organizations and public health authorities to ensure the
most effective use of resources. As a result of partnerships with safety net agencies and healthcare manufacturers,
as well as deep experience in pharmaceutical distribution, Direct Relief has the unique ability to offer targeted,
appropriate, and timely emergency response.
GULF COAST HURRICANE RESPONSE
“(DIRECT RELIEF WAS) ONE OF THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL
RESPONDERS ON THE GROUND WITH MEDICAL SUPPLIES 2005–2009 KATRINA, RITA, DOLLY, GUSTAV, IKE
AND EQUIPMENT. WE WERE SINCERELY GRATEFUL
D
elivered $42.4 million in medical material
THAT DIRECT RELIEF MADE GRANTS AVAILABLE TO
aid, $5 million in targeted cash grants to
OUR FACILITIES TO HELP THEM BUILD CAPACITY TO MEET
more than 100 Gulf Coast healthcare partners
THEIR COMMUNITIES’ BASIC NEEDS.”
during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
– Louisiana Primary Care Association, upon honoring Direct Relief
with the first-annual Guardian Award
R
ecognized by the National Association
of Community Health Centers (NACHC) in
H U R R I C A N E P R E PA R E D N E S S August 2007 for its unprecedented assistance
In 2009, Hurricane Prep Packs were provided to 25 clinic partners in to safety net clinics in the wake of Hurricane
five Gulf States and Puerto Rico. The mobile, waterproof packs contain Katrina
medical items to treat 100 patients for 3-5 days. Clinic recipients were
G
ranted $150,000 to NACHC for rebuilding
selected based on their location, past experience with emergency response,
and recovery efforts throughout Louisiana
patient population, and capacity to treat victims during an emergency. At
after Hurricane Gustav in 2008
a wholesale value of almost $12,000, the pack’s contents were informed by
responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, work with the Texas P
rovided weatherproof, ruggedized, mobile
Blue Ribbon Commission on Emergency Preparedness and Response, and Hurricane Prep Packs to 25 safety net clinics
feedback from recipients since the program began in 2007. If a hurricane in five states in 2009
doesn’t strike, pack contents can be easily absorbed into regular clinic
inventory to avoid waste.
DIRECT RELIEF USA / 27 S. LA PATERA LANE, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93117 / T (805) 964-4767 / F (805) 681-4838 / DIRECTRELIEF.ORG/USA

2. PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF H1N1 AND SEASONAL FLU
I
n 2009, Direct Relief conducted one As a result, Direct Relief was able to
of the largest surveys of U.S. clinics provide a targeted response.
to determine if they had adequate
REUTERS/JORGE DAN, COURTESY OF ALERTNET.ORG
personal protective equipment D
elivered 836 shipments to 624
(PPE) on-hand to protect providers clinics in 49 states, Washington
from the H1N1 virus. D.C., and Puerto Rico, with flu
prevention and treatment products
495 of 1,200 clinics completed the
valued at over $1,020,000 (whole-
survey, enabling Direct Relief to gain sale), including:
key insights from 41% of these safety CeraSport rehydration drink
net partners.
Tylenol N-95 masks
T
he clinics that responded provide Gloves TAMIFLU
care to a total of about 4 million
Soap Hand sanitizer
patients each year.
“YOUR GENEROSITY HAS HELPED TO
BRIGHTEN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO HAVE
SUFFERED. IT HAS HELPED STRENGTHEN
OUR DETERMINATION TO MOVE FORWARD,
CONTINUING TO WORK TO BUILD A STRONG
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS NETWORK FOR
RURAL SAN DIEGO COUNTY.”– JUDITH SHAPLIN, CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MOUNTAIN HEALTH COMMUNITY SERVICES, ALPINE, CA
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE RESPONSE, 2004–2009
WITCH CREEK, POOMACHA, RICE, HARRIS (SAN DIEGO) / GAP, TEA, JESUSITA (SANTA BARBARA) /
STATION, SAYRE (LOS ANGELES)
Delivered 71 shipments Provided 50,000 N95 Assisted in the Sent 21 shipments
valued at $1.4 million respirator masks to local deployment of totaling over $128,500
and $490,000 in cash residents affected by poor Santa Barbara County’s in November 2008, and
grants to safety net air quality in partnership alternate care site during provided respiratory
clinics and firefighter with Santa Barbara massive evacuations care supplies valued at
crews in San Diego County Public Health forced by the $45,800 to Los Angeles
in 2007 Department in 2008 2009 Jesusita Fire clinics in August 2009
EQUIPPING MEDICAL RESERVISTS
“DIRECT RELIEF Direct Relief USA provided the Santa Barbara Medical
CONTINUALLY MEETS Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers with 100 ruggedized,
IDENTIFIED GAPS. WITHOUT specially designed backpacks filled with medical supplies to
THEIR ASSISTANCE WE help address community health needs in an emergency. The
WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO packs enable MRC members—trained, credentialed, medical
PROVIDE THESE PACKS TO personnel—to respond when disaster strikes.
OUR MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS
Each MRC pack contains supplies and equipment
AND PROVIDE THIS LEVEL
to meet a variety of prevalent disaster-related health needs,
OF PREPAREDNESS THAT
including infection control, diagnostics, trauma care, and
OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS.”
personal protection tools. Designed to “grab and go,” the
– Nancy Lapolla, Director, Santa Barbara
County Public Health Department Office kits were created with input from experienced emergency responders. The California
of Emergency Services
Emergency Medical Services Authority (Cal EMSA) has adopted Direct Relief’s EMT
level Med-Pack as the California Standard.
DIRECT RELIEF USA / 27 S. LA PATERA LANE, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93117 / T (805) 964-4767 / F (805) 681-4838 / DIRECTRELIEF.ORG/USA