Thank You ++++

HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

One Year Update

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged coastal communities throughout the Gulf Coast in August and September 2005, affecting over one million people and resulting in the largest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Direct Relief’s support efforts have been aimed at both the major anchor facilities that provide specialized services and the network of safety-net clinics that play the key role of caring for people who have little money and no insurance. Both types of facilities have undergone tremendous strain from surging patient visits, lack of revenue and, in many cases, storm-related damage.

We did not solicit funds in connection with the hurricanes, but we pledged to devote our existing internal resources to the recovery effort. Direct Relief adopted a strict policy, as we had following the tsunami, to dedicate 100 percent of all funds received for hurricane assistance to the delivery of direct aid in the region while absorbing all administrative and existing internal staff costs. Our policies have enabled all new disaster relief resources to be leveraged to bolster the excellent local organizations and people that have the highest stake and most knowledge of the situation on the ground.

Overall, Direct Relief has furnished over $4 million in cash grants from the total of $4.77 million in total hurricane contributions received. These targeted investments complement the infusion of $26.8 million wholesale of essential medical resources – all of which were specifically requested by end-user health professionals.

We are accountable to more than 5,920 generous people and companies who entrusted their money to our organization, to the many healthcare companies who donated essential material and services, and to the people living in the hurricane-affected areas for whose benefit these resources have been received.

DIRECT RELIEF

BY THE NUMBERS

contributions spent on administration or fundraising. Direct Relief maintains a strict policy of using 100 percent of all hurricane contributions exclusively for direct hurricane expenditures. The organization is absorbing all administrative costs associated with the hurricane response.

1.66 million courses of treatment of specifically requested medicines, supplies, and medical equipment provided through 95 shipments to

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas
$4 million cash grants made to 34 clinics, hospitals, and associations
$4.77 million cash received to aid hurricane victims
$12.5 million wholesale medical in-kind donations received to specifically send to the regions affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Additional product already in Direct Relief’s warehouse was authorized for use in the Gulf.
$26.8 million (total wholesale value) medical resources furnished
$30.8 million direct aid provided in the form of donated medical products and cash grants
87.8 percentage of hurricane funds expended to date
After almost 60 years in humanitarian assistance, Direct Relief International has learned that, in crises, those who do the best work in hard-hit areas are the people who live there. The dilemma is that rarely are these people and organizations the best at fundraising during the key period of heightened media attention when money is given. They are too busy doing the essential work.
photo: Touro Hospital
In-Kind Donors
We thank the following 53 companies whose generosity has enabled us to help provide 1.66 million courses of treatment
to front-line health facilities along the
Gulf Coast.

3M Pharmaceuticals
Abbott
Aearo Company
Alcon Laboratories, Inc.
Allergan, Inc.
American Health Products Corporation
Amsino International
Aramco Services Company
BD
Beaumont Products Inc.
Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Carlsbad Technology, Inc.
Cera Products, Inc.
Child Health Foundation
ConMed Corporation
Den-Mat Corporation
DreamWeaver Medical
Edgepark Surgical
Ethicon, Inc.
Forest Laboratories, Inc.
FNC Medical Corporation
Herban Essentials
Hi-Tech Pharmacal Company, Inc.
International Aid
Interplast
Invacare Supply Group
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson Consumer
Companies
Kendall Healthcare, Tyco
King Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Martin Roth & Co.
McKesson Medical-Surgical
McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharms.
Medical Action Industries
Merck & Company, Inc.
Miltex Instrument Company
Nexxus Beauty Products
Omron Healthcare, Inc.
Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Pfizer, Inc.
Sage Products, Inc.
Sandel Medical Industries, LLC
sanofi-aventis
Sappo Hill Soapworks
Schering-Plough Corporation
STADA Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
Tyco Healthcare/Mallinckrodt
Vitamin Angel Alliance
Waldwick Plastics Corporation
Zimmer Orthopedic Surgical Products
Zooth, a Division of Gillette

Healthcare companies offered support to address the crisis in the initial days after Katrina and Rita struck, and, with the support of FedEx, Direct Relief was able to establish medical supply lines to clinics serving thousands of people each day. BD (Becton, Dickinson & Co.) employees worked weekends to arrange shipments of supplies for persons with diabetes; Johnson & Johnson released its previously donated medicine contributions for international programs to care for patients in the Gulf; Abbott, in anticipation of Hurricane Rita, initiated a plan with Direct Relief to pre-position highly-needed medications and medical supplies to be deployed on an urgent basis; Pfizer deployed a team of its corporate supply-chain experts to help ensure proper controls in a chaotic situation; Bristol-Myers Squibb provided essential drugs (primarily antibiotics) that were desperately needed in the region; and even the most basic supplies were needed including tongue depressors, baby wipes, and stethoscopes that were provided by Amsino International and Omron Healthcare, Inc.
These private activities have enabled Direct Relief to infuse over $26 million in corporate-furnished medicines and supplies through 66 nonprofit clinics, hospitals, and shelters. Such extraordinary partnerships with medical product manufacturers and distributors enabled Direct Relief to respond in a fast, efficient, and targeted way. Fifty-three pharmaceutical and medical supply companies made contributions to assist in the response. Without such generosity from health industry leaders, Direct
Relief would not be in a position to provide the medical material assistance to the Gulf. It would also have been unable to maximize the contribution of citizens and companies across the globe to assist in the rebuilding of the health care infrastructure.

CORPORATIONS STEP UP

Direct Relief provided essential medicines and supplies to 66 nonprofit clinics, hospitals, and shelters throughout the Katrina and Rita affected region.

Abbott Fund
Allergan Foundation
The Antioch Company
Bradlees Stores, Inc.
Crescent City Relief Fund, Inc.
Dodge & Cox
ExxonMobil Corporation/
ExxonMobil Foundation/
Ellen DeGeneres Show
Infinium Capital Management
Mayo Clinic
McCormick Tribune Foundation
Mercury
The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation
Montecito Union School
The PRASAD Project
Rose Hills Foundation
San Francisco Foundation
Mr. Michael Scott
Six Furlongs, LLC
The Sixty Four Foundation
EXTRAORDINARY GENEROSITY

Companies and Individuals who have contributed over $50,000

HELPING PATCH THE SAFETY NET
Overall, Direct Relief has furnished over $4 million in cash grants from the total of $4.7 million in total hurricane contributions received. These targeted investments complement the infusion of $26.8 million wholesale of essential medical resources – all of which were specifically requested by end-user health professionals.

As the emergency relief phase slowed, Direct Relief renewed its commitment to safety-net providers. Cash grants focused on the provision of medical supplies and services as a top priority. Grant funds were used to cover replacement costs of destroyed medical equipment and supplies, assist in transportation programs to increase availability of medical services to those living in trailer communities, and support the creation of new medical staff positions needed to treat the influx of patients.

In the months following the hurricanes, Direct Relief has remained dedicated to its original partners and has expanded cash assistance to support clinic construction and rehabilitation, financial assistance programs to help people rebuild their lives, mental health programs, and uninsured patient bill reimbursement. These efforts occur alongside continued material aid being delivered from pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing companies to those in greatest need.
Acadiana Outreach Center

Direct Relief financed the Transitional Recovery Action Center for Katrina (T.R.A.C.K.), a unique program created by Acadiana Outreach Center in Lafayette, Louisiana to assist displaced families devastated by Katrina and Rita transition from destitution and dependence to self-sufficiency and stability in an organized systematic approach. T.R.A.C.K. focuses on supporting displaced families in their efforts to find housing, employment, and transportation, while addressing their physical and mental health needs. Over 680 households affected by Katrina were offered services through T.R.A.C.K. In addition, 253 supportive services were provided for mental health care and counseling, 227 supportive services were provided for medical and prescription support and 189 evacuees benefited from transportation funds. Direct Relief provided $100,000 to cover the costs of health care needs not met by any other federal, state or local resource, funded staff directly engaged in providing services to evacuees (the majority of staff being evacuees themselves), and provided supplies to support the displaced.
"Direct Relief has been a bright ray through dark days of chaos and despair. They are to be applauded for their initiative reaching out to grassroots community-based organizations to not only provide critically-needed resources to rebuild lives, but also infusing us all with a renewed sense of hope and energy. Since I’ve seen first-hand how Direct Relief strategically finds the gaps directing funds efficiently and effectively, I’m proud to now be a Direct Relief donor supporting their work around the globe."

Valerie Keller
CEO Acadiana Outreach Center, Inc.
Acadiana Outreach Center employed Katrina evacuees to support displaced families through the Center’s unique T.R.A.C.K. program.
photo: Bernadet Saul
Reuben T. Morris Wellness Foundation
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Alfred McNair and the Reuben T. Morris Wellness Foundation became an immediate resource for a network of 180 physicians and other medical professionals to respond to the devastation and medical needs along the Mississippi coast. Through Dr. McNair’s efforts over the course of several months, Direct Relief provided five shipments totaling more than $5 million consisting of pharmaceuticals, medical and personal care supplies. The support provided access to critically-needed items that Dr. McNair’s network utilized to provide care to thousands of patients.
In addition to the provision of medical care, Dr. McNair addressed the serious concern of the possible exodus among medical professionals from the Gulf region. Direct Relief issued Dr. McNair a grant of $82,061 in order to assist his efforts to keep medical professionals in the region. With this grant, Dr. McNair purchased a new medical passenger van to deliver supplies to clinics and physician’s offices and to shuttle patients to doctor’s appointments. The grant also allowed Dr. McNair to purchase additional essential drugs and supplies as well as provide a short-term financial cushion to nine local physicians who are renting homes or offices after being displaced by the hurricane.

Gulf Coast Health Center, Inc.
Gulf Coast Health Center Inc. (GCHC) is a non-profit community health center founded in 1989 to care for citizens of Southeast Texas and Western Louisiana. After Katrina and Rita, GCHC cared for thousands of evacuees, many of whom suffered from chronic health conditions and psychological stress. The strategic location of the four health centers allowed for large numbers of hurricane victims to easily access primary care and mental health services after the storms. With Direct Relief’s assistance ($184,918), 14,629 clients were served following Hurricane Rita. Following Rita, GCHC invested a portion of Direct Relief funds in 13 state-of-the-art exam tables to increase the capacity of the clinic sites to care for patients throughout nine neighboring counties in Southeast Texas and five parishes in Southwest Louisiana. Remaining funds were invested in an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system that will improve the standard of care and will increase the organization’s capacity to respond quickly and effectively to future disasters.

KATRINA AND RITA FACTS
$75 billion estimated Katrina property damage
$9.4 billion estimated Rita property damage
23 percentage of unemployment of displaced Katrina evacuees – 278,000 workers
$107 billion federal aid provided to the Gulf Coast states