Disaster Relief

When natural disasters strike vulnerable areas around the world, MedShare is poised to respond effectively. We are in a unique position to equip first responders in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster and partner with local institutions and governments to support long-term recovery in order to increase their ability to treat more patients effectively.

Click here to learn more about last year’s Disaster Relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, California, Texas, Sierra Leone, and South Asia!

The Challenge:

Many areas affected by natural disasters already have difficulty reaching patients in rural locations. Additionally, the infrastructure that was once in place no longer functions properly and creates bottlenecks for humanitarian aid delivery.

The Opportunity:

In the moments following a disaster, high on the priority list are food, shelter, medical care and clothing. MedShare’s Disaster Relief Program focuses on:

Communicating directly with our in-country partner hospitals and clinics to determine their needs.
Sourcing immediate needs from our product donor partners
Coordinating and expediting shipments of critical supplies with our logistics partners
Provisioning medical mission team volunteers as they travel to the region to provide aid
Continuing support after the initial response to aid in rebuilding health systems in areas devastated by disaster.

Our Strategy:

Recently, MedShare, with seed funding from Henry Schein, created a Disaster Relief Program Fund that allows MedShare to deliver a 40-foot container of vital medical supplies and equipment to disaster-affected areas immediately, instead of waiting to raise funds following a specific disaster.

MedShare works in tandem with healthcare, hospital, manufacturing, product and shipping donors and partners to coordinate disaster relief response efforts to delivery the necessary medical supplies that are critical in rebuilding local health systems after disaster strikes.

Did You Know?

In 2013 there were: 334 natural disasters; and 22,616 deaths in 109 countries, totaling $118 billion in damages.
Between 1994 and 2013, there were 6,873 natural disasters worldwide, which claimed 1.35 million lives or almost 68,000 lives annually. Source: Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
Between 1994 and 2013, 218 million people were affected by natural disasters on average per annum during this 20-year period. Source: Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
Flooding caused the majority of disasters between 1994 and 2013, accounting for 43% of all recorded events, and affecting nearly 2.5 billion people. Source: Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
Storms are the most expensive type of disaster during the past two decades and the second most costly event regarding lives lost. Source: Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
Earthquakes (including tsunamis) killed more people than all other types of disasters combined, claiming 750,000 lives between 1994 and 2013. Source: Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)

Dharahara Tower before and after the Nepalese earthquakes in April, 2015

Temple destroyed following the earthquakes in Nepal in 2015