Direct Relief sends medical supplies to Haiti following earthquake

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.

Direct relief strives to be prepared.

The nonprofit humanitarian medical organization, based in Santa Barbara, already had pre-positioned emergency health kits near Haiti.

Direct Relief already had several ocean containers of PPE and medical supplies headed to Haiti before the magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit on Saturday morning.

The deadly earthquake struck near Les Cayes on the outer peninsula of Haiti as people were preparing for tropical Depression Grace.

This week, Direct Relief's Santa Barbara hub will be sending 21 pallets of medical supplies on a chartered plane.

"Basically these are pre-kitted materials that are giant first aid kits for hospitals, so they can have trauma, wound infection, basic medications, and the supplies that are always needed, but then spike when there's is something like this that happens," said Direct Relief's President & CEO Thomas Tighe.

Thanks to donations, the organization created in 1948, has been helping Haiti for decades.

Simple items such as gloves, and personal care products for displaced people are also included in the kits.

Director Relief's Vice President of Communications Tony Morain said , "COVID is obviously still an issue and Haiti is one of the countries that has yet to receive significant donations of COVID vaccine."

Medical supplies are especially needed in areas where hospitals were damaged by the earthquake and aftershocks.

Tighe said the country is also dealing with political instability following the assassination of its president, gang violence and food insecurity.

Doctors have requested antibiotics and those requests are being filled.

Direct Relief donations may be made specifically for Haiti.

For donation information visit www.directrelief.org where they say, "Giving is good medicine."