Device Companies Donate Supplies To Aid Haiti Earthquake Victims

Full article reprinted from "The Gray Sheet" - January 18, 2010

Along with governments and humanitarian organizations, device companies mobilized last week to send emergency medical supplies to Haiti in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake that hit the country Jan. 12.

Device Companies Donate Supplies To Aid Haiti Earthquake Victims

Full article reprinted from "The Gray Sheet" - January 18, 2010

Along with governments and humanitarian organizations, device companies mobilized last week to send emergency medical supplies to Haiti in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake that hit the country Jan. 12.

"We immediately shipped Johnson & Johnson disaster relief modules with large quantities of our consumer and over-the-counter products," said J&J spokesperson Carol Goodrich.

The J&J family of companies will make additional product donations based on needs identified by its partners, such as Medical Teams International, the Surgical Implant Generation Network and Esperanza International, Goodrich added.

"Additionally, we are evaluating maritime capacity for shipping products from Puerto Rico to Haiti, and activating contacts with our distributors in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to understand [the] logistics of moving donated products from the ports and airports into the affected areas," Goodrich explained.

J&J is also encouraging employee involvement by offering a two-to-one company gift match by U.S.-based employees to qualified nonprofits helping with earthquake relief efforts.

Roche's U.S. division also has an employee match program in place, said spokesman Al Waslewski.

In addition, late last week Roche was assessing which of its diagnostics and medicines were most needed in Haiti and how best to distribute donated goods to ensure they are not diverted on the way to the people who need them most.

Chaotic Conditions Complicate Distribution Efforts

"It's pretty chaotic" on the ground in Haiti, Waslewski said late last week.

The lack of infrastructure has made it difficult to determine how best to assess the medical needs.

Roche is working with an affiliate in the Dominican Republic, as well as with non-government relief organizations, to gather more information on how best to offer assistance, Waslewski added.

3M has earmarked about $1 million in product donations to the relief efforts, spokesperson Jacqueline Berry said Jan. 15.

3M's initial donation will be distributed through Project Hope and includes bandages, wound dressings, sterile drapes, splints and medical tape.

As relief efforts continue, 3M may work with other groups in Haiti as they determine their ongoing needs for medical supplies, Berry suggested.

The company also plans a monetary donation in the form of a company match of employee gifts to the Red Cross and CARE.

The GE Foundation announced a $2.5 million commitment for relief in Haiti.

"To ensure the highest quality impact, GE will work with its partners on the ground to assess response efforts and determine the next steps to help restore infrastructure and services to the impacted areas," GE said in a Jan. 14 statement.

Becton, Dickinson and Company has authorized product donations of up to $500,000 in medical equipment, including needles, syringes, IV catheters and blood collection tubes to partner charitable donations.

The donations are part of a $1.2 million fund for Haiti earthquake relief efforts announced Jan. 15 by BD that also includes matching employee gifts and a $550,000 donation to several relief organizations.

Abbott and its Abbott Fund have committed $1 million in aid in response to the earthquake, including both cash funding and medical products.

Henry Schein Inc. and its supplier partners last week began the first shipments in a plan to donate $1 million in medical supplies to non-governmental organizations providing earthquake relief in Haiti.

The medical supplies and services company has also established a Haitian Earthquake Relief Fund through its Henry Schein Cares Foundation.

Health Care Infrastructure Destroyed

According to the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, at least eight health care facilities, including at least four hospitals, were destroyed or severely damaged in the earthquake.

Because the local infrastructure cannot support the level of medical need, some experts are urging medical volunteers arriving in Haiti to come prepared with their own medical equipment.

Doctors Without Borders plans to send an inflatable hospital. According to the group's Web site, the portable operating theaters, used after the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, include hospital beds, rolling trays, respirators and other equipment needed to perform lifesaving surgery.

For its part, the American Medical Association has established a Web site to help share information on emerging health needs from the field, it said Jan. 13.

According to the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, three million people were affected by the earthquake.

CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta told TV talk show host Larry King last week he was frustrated by the need for the most basic of medical supplies, such as gauze, bandages and orthopedic equipment.

"Medical supplies, like IVs, pain medicines, and bandages, are extremely limited," the International Medical Corps confirmed in a Jan. 14 press release.

- Monica Hogan

Is your company donating medical devices, supplies or other assistance to help the earthquake victims in Haiti? If so, Medical Devices Today would like to hear about it. Please send publication-ready press releases about what your company is doing to Sean Smith at [email protected].

 

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