Direct Relief


Direct Relief is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a stated mission to “improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergency situations by mobilizing and providing essential medical resources needed for their care."
The organization is headed by an independent Board of Directors and President and CEO, Thomas Tighe.

History

In 1945, William Zimdin, an Estonian immigrant to the United States and businessman, began sending thousands of relief parcels to relatives, friends, and former employees in Europe to help with the aftermath of World War II. In 1948, Zimdin formalized his efforts with the establishment of the William Zimdin Foundation. Dezso Karczag, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant assumed management of the foundation following Zimdin's death in 1951. Karczag changed the organization's name to 'Direct Relief Foundation' in 1957. The organization assumed the name "Direct Relief International" in 1982, and "Direct Relief" in 2013.
In September 2016, Direct Relief began working with Matthew Moffit after he raised $300 online for a non-profit called Child's Play in 2009. To raise the money, Moffit and friends played Legend of Zelda for about 36 hours straight while hosting a live online broadcast of their marathon. Several months later, Moffit raised $3,300 for the American Cancer Society.
Direct Relief and Moffit partnered to produce Zeldathon. The charity is meant to be promoted to other gamers who would raise money for the group. Since Moffit and Direct Relief partnered, Direct Relief Gaming has raised $1.6M for the organization.
In 2018, Direct Relief donated a record amount of medical supplies and direct funding to help local health centers in the U.S. along with 100+ other countries. Direct Relief provided about $1.2 billion worth of wholesale materials to health centers in 2018. In order to ensure the organization's ability to help no matter what the environmental conditions were, Direct Relief built a solar-powered and Tesla battery micro-grid on a warehouse in California to stay running at all times.
In 2019, Direct Relief's new Santa Barbara, CA, headquarters was finished. The headquarters is both a warehouse and distribution center for the organization. The new building is 155,000-square-feet, earthquake-safe, and outfitted with state-of-the-art distribution technology for medical supplies. Direct Relief partnered with Tesla to create a microgrid power supply for the building. Solar panels are integrated with battery storage and generators to keep the headquarters running for up to six months in the face of a disaster. That off-the-grid power supply is essential for storing temperature-sensitive medications like insulin and vaccines.

Operations

Between 2000 – 2014, the organization's operating budget averaged roughly $11 million. Over the same period, it reported delivering more than $1.6 billion in medical resources and supplies in the U.S. and the world. Medical supplies come largely through in-kind donations by hundreds of pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The organization manages logistics and distribution through enterprise systems that include SAP, Esri, and in-kind transportation support from FedEx.

Emergency preparedness and response

Relief efforts

Hurricanes

: Direct Relief provided care to more than 37,170 evacuees and started their Hurricane Preparedness program after Hurricane Katrina occurred. With this program, Direct Relief stocks health centers along the East and West coasts with emergency kits containing medicine, wound care items, and treatments for chronic diseases. The kits serve approximately 100 patients for 72 hours.
Hurricane Ike : Hurricane Ike displaced over 100,000 people in 2008. Direct Relief provided over $1.1 million in hurricane emergency aid as of September 20, 2008. The shipments contained medicines, and hygienic supplies.
Hurricane Gustav : Direct Relief committed $250,000 in hurricane response funds to assist nonprofit clinics, community health centers, and alternate care sites. Direct Relief worked with the National Association of Community Health Centers and State Primary Care Associations in the Gulf.
Hurricane Irene : Direct Relief worked closely with Merck to make tetanus vaccine available to clinics and community health centers affected by Hurricane Irene. Direct Relief also collaborated with the National Association of Community Health Centers, the North Carolina Community Health Center Association, the Bi-State Primary Care Association & the Vermont Coalition of Clinics for the Uninsured to offer assistance for people affected by Irene.
Hurricane Sandy : Provided medical supplies to community clinics, non-profit health centers, and other groups in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy, and mapped pharmacies, gas stations, and other facilities that remained in the New York City area despite power outages.
Hurricane Matthew : Direct Relief delivered the largest emergency medical aid airlift to Haiti since Hurricane Matthew struck. Direct Relief utilized a 757 plane, donated by FedEx, that contained 16.7 tons of medicine and medical supplies. These supplies were distributed to hospitals throughout the country to care for people who had been affected by the storm.
Hurricane Maria : First organization to bring medicine into Puerto Rico when the commercial supply chain failed after Hurricane Maria had reached land in September 2017. After a year, Direct Relief had provided $70.2M in medical aid.
Hurricane Harvey : In 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas. Direct Relief made its entire inventory of more than $100 million in medical supplies and $200K in cash to support victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
Hurricane Irma : Direct Relief coordinated with more than 70 healthcare partners in Florida and Puerto Rico including the Florida Association of Community Health Centers and the Asociación de Salud Primaria de Puerto Rico to support existing nonprofit community clinics and health centers.
Hurricane Florence : Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina in September, 2018. Direct Relief committed an initial $200K in cash and made its medical inventory of over $100M available for emergencies occurring on the U.S. East Coast.
Hurricane Michael : Hurricane Michael made contact with the Florida Panhandle as a category 5 storm. The death toll from the storm reached 13, and thousands of homes were destroyed. Ten facilities that were in Hurricane Michael's path had emergency medical packs that were prepositioned as part of Direct Relief's hurricane preparedness program.
Hurricane Dorian : Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas with heavy winds and rain. Direct Relief delivered medical aid to affected areas, and additional emergency medical supplies are being sent to the Bahamas from Florida and Direct Relief's main distribution location in the United States.

Earthquakes

In 2008, 3 years after the earthquake occurred, Direct Relief had provided over $14 million in assistance to local partners in order to rebuild the healthcare infrastructure, and to help the injured with recovery.
Peru Earthquake : Direct Relief worked with FedEx Express and donated 32 cartons of aid worth about $100K to earthquake victims in Peru.
Haiti Earthquake : In the six months following the Haiti earthquake, provided more than 400 tons of emergency medical assistance worth more than $57 million.
Nepal Earthquake : In response to the Nepal earthquake, delivered via FedEx charter 118,000 pounds of medical aid, which included 6.2 million defined daily doses of medications.
Mexico Earthquake : On September 7, 2017, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake occurred in Mexico, and claimed at least 98 lives. Direct Relief provided emergency health kits to a trauma hospital in southern Mexico City, which contained enough medical supplies to support 1,000 people for a month.
Indonesia Earthquake : Multiple major earthquakes struck Indonesia and triggered a tsunami that took to shore on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. To aid relief efforts, Direct Relief made its inventory of $30 million in medicines and supplies readily available for survivors.
Japan Earthquake & Tsunami : The Tohoku Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011. It was a magnitude 9 earthquake, that was followed by both a tsunami and a nuclear disaster. Over 16,000 people died. After the disaster, Direct Relief and the Japanese American Citizens League established the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund, committing 100 percent of all contributions to be used exclusively to help people in Japan in the most efficient manner possible.

Volcanoes

Ecuador – Mt. Cotopaxi : The President of Ecuador declared a state of emergency in 2015 because of the increasing signs of activity coming from the Cotopaxi volcano. Since 2010, Direct Relief has provided six Ecuadorian health care partners with aid totaling $2,122,650.
Hawaii -- Kilauea Volcano : The Kilauea Volcano, located on Hawaii's Big Island, erupted from fissures in 2018. Direct Relief aided in relief efforts by providing respirator masks to those affected by the eruption.

Disease outbreaks

Zika Virus Outbreak : Since 2015, as many as 1.5 million cases have been acquired according to the World Health Organization. In 2016, Direct Relief established a Zika Fund and helped fulfill requests for supplies in 14 affected countries.
DRC Ebola Outbreak : The outbreak began in 2015, but in 2019 there have been 1,000+ cases of Ebola in the DRC. The outbreak is the largest in the country's history, and the second largest outbreak recorded of Ebola ever. Direct Relief delivered 40 shipments of medical aid worth $25 million to roughly 1,000 hospitals and clinics in Liberia and Sierra Leone. On September 20, 2014, the organization chartered a 747 carrying 100 tons of supplies for Ebola-hit regions. Since 2015, Direct Relief has provided $13.9 million in medical aid.
Coronavirus : In January 2020, Direct Relief worked with FedEx Cares, FedEx's global charitable platform, to fulfill an emergency order from the medical staff in Wuhan's largest hospital, Wuhan Union Hospital. By March 2020, the nonprofit had sent more than 30 tons of supplies to China. This included almost 900,000 N95 masks, as well as face shields, gowns, gloves, and oxygen concentrators. Direct Relief also committed to $2 million in emergency funding to support U.S. healthcare efforts.
As of April 2020, the nonprofit had distributed more than 145,000 pounds of medical aid in response to COVID-19. Direct Relief had shipped to hospitals and clinics in all 50 U.S. states, as well as institutions in 32 countries. The organization also started its new COVID-19 Fund for Community Health to provide community health centers with financial support for healthcare workers. 3M donated $10 million to the Fund. By June 2020, over 518 health centers had received funding through the COVID-19 Fund.
In May 2020, Direct Relief announced that it was partnering with FedEx Cares to ship personal protective equipment to underserved communities around the U.S.
Wildfires
In July 2019, the organization released an analysis of which small towns in California could be the hardest hit by a fast-moving wildfire based on the numbers of low-income, immobile, aging, or disabled people in the community. Nine towns were given a “very high” social-vulnerability score.
California Gap Fire : Direct Relief provided 35,000 free NIOSH N-95 particulate respirators to local residents to help avoid the harmful effects of inhaling smoke and ash from the Gap Fire. The burned area rose to more than 9,500 acres.
Jesusita Fire : After responses to both the fires in Northern California and Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Direct Relief delivered respiratory masks and albuterol inhalers to Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and others affected by persistently poor air quality from smoke and ash.
Thomas Fire : The Thomas Fire burned 281,893 acres and burned 1,000 in several California counties. Direct Relief donated an SUV and pickup truck that were re-purposed into first-response vehicles to aid in relief efforts. The Ford F-150 pickup is equipped with a paddleboard, a rescue basket, a mobile data computer for GPS location, and LED response and scene lighting. It will be used during surf and water rescues, and to provide support during wildfire calls, flooding incidents, and urban search-and-rescue situations. The Ford Explorer SUV will be used as a secondary command post.
California Wildfires : In response to the destruction and challenges that survivors of California's recent wildfires face throughout California, Direct Relief announced that it would devote at least $2 million in cash to aid in response and recovery efforts. Direct Relief also provided emergency, firefighting and medical supplies medications to first responders and affected communities. In October, 2019, Direct Relief donated $500,000 worth of new equipment to CAL FIRE Butte County and Paradise. The donation included satellite WiFi, a boat generator, and trucks and trailers.
Australia Wildfires : The wildfires started in New South Wales and burned over 18 million acres of land. Direct Relief donated 500,000 N95 fire masks to help protect Australians from smoke and particulates in the air. The airline Qantas volunteered to deliver the masks free-of-charge.

Typhoons

The 'super typhoon' hit the Northern Mariana Islands in October 2018. Direct relief worked with Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation and with other health facilities damaged by the storm to coordinate medical aid shipments. A shipment of 40,000 liters of drinking water along with other essential items was delivered in late October.

Use of Technology

In 2013, launched a program in partnership with Basic Health International to screen and treat women in Haiti for cervical cancer.

Maternal and child health

Direct Relief delivers medical aid to people in high-need areas worldwide by supporting partners that provide child and maternal health services through the full process of pregnancy. The organization provides midwives with the tools needed to provide delivery, antenatal and postpartum care safely.
In 2017, Direct Relief distributed 300 midwife kits to 14 partners in seven countries in the Caribbean, southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, supporting 15,000 safe births.