Direct Relief Responding to Harvey in Texas

When Hurricane Harvey was approach, Direct Relief was already on the ground in Texas to coordinate with health centers and clinic partners to actively assess medical needs and mobilize a rapid response. The organization had already pre-positioned 50 Hurricane Preparedness Packs, containing enough medicines and supplies to treat 100 patients for three-to-five days, at facilities along hurricane prone areas and evacuation routes along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Nine of these packs were opened in Texas in the aftermath of the storm. These resources supported the immediate response to the storm, and Direct Relief has remained in communication with facilities in affected communities to continually ship aid and supplies in the six months since the hurricane hit.

To date, Direct Relief has delivered $15.3 million (wholesale) via 600 shipments to 52 partner healthcare facilities to support the health needs of communities directly affected by Hurricane Harvey. Selected community health centers and charitable clinics will also receive cash grants from Direct Relief’s Hurricane Community Health Fund in the coming weeks to help rebuild and stabilize operations to ensure the sustainability of critically important, community-based sources of care. To date, Direct Relief has granted $808,000 from the Fund to partners in Texas.