This has been an overwhelming year for people across the United States. From the Covid-19 health crisis to the devastating wildfires and hurricanes that have battered our communities, Americans have faced a multitude of challenges in 2020.
Direct Relief, a leading nonprofit humanitarian medical organization, recognized the need for early intervention in the Coronavirus pandemic. On January 27, it dispatched its first shipment of PPE in response to the outbreak to China. On January 28, a month before the CDC confirmed the first case of community spread in the U.S., Direct Relief deployed thousands of N95 masks, protective gowns and exam gloves to health facilities. Over the next six months, the organization delivered 17,553 medical aid shipments to 2,591 health facilities in 54 U.S. states and territories and 86 countries. Additionally, it has issued more than $40 million in grants to community health centers, clinics, and other non-profit health providers serving people across the U.S. and world at disproportionate risk from Covid-19 and other emergencies such as wildfires and storms.
