nov-2017c

22 23 based on the size of a facility, the health conditions, and other circumstances. Bymanaging all the infor- mation,we could customize kits for hospitals, and clinics, and mobile teams…had we just sent stuff in bulk to some warehouse, it would still be sitting there, probably ransacked. For the latest shipment,we worked with the hospital association to develop resupply kits.We packaged them in durable,waterproof, orange tubs that would meet conditions teams might encounter on everyday trips.Medications for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, and advanced first aid to treat infections, gastro/intestinal problems or ophthalmic problems that people were developing with their eyes or skin.We wouldn’t have been able to do that without a database of what had been requested previously in similar situations. The next time something like this happens,we’ll have a much bigger set of information about what to anticipate, based on what’s going on now, sadly. BVC: When your plane lands, do you distribute supplies, or just deliver to one facility? TIGHE: Island and territory logistics are compli- cated. Last Friday we flew a supply plane into Puerto Rico carrying custom-ordered healthcare items of different levels of complexity for dozens of facilities. The kinds of order fulfillment encompassed in that one flight meant thousands of individual decisions tailored to the receiving facility. In Puerto Rico,we’re feeding three strains of health-to-health services: 1. Government-run health facilities. 2. Referral hospitals.They hadn’t been supplied for over a month, and were running short EXECUTIVE VIEW on basics like IV solutions. In all, 19 hospitals made requests. 3: Non-profit primary care health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers).There are 69 on Puerto Rico that see 300,000 patients annually; low income people who have no insurance and can’t afford healthcare. So, it was a big consolidated bunch of orders that we picked, packed and labelled. It arrived on one plane, and we loaded it on trucks that took it directly to the specified receiving facilities.We arranged that before the plane even took off. BVC: Is Direct Relief run primarily on donations? TIGHE: Yes.We don’t receive government contracts, it’s all based on private charitable support.And the Established in 1948,Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization active in 50 states and more than 80 countries with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by pover- ty or emergencies.Headquartered in Santa Barbara,California,Direct Relief employs 70 professional staff members, is governed by an independent Board of Directors,and benefits from the help of more than 400 volunteers.