Pharmacists are needed for 2-week stints at aid centers being set up in the Dominican Republic that will serve refugees and victims of this week's earthquake in Haiti. For those unable to commit that amount of time away from home, financial contributions to organizations such as the Red Cross are an excellent means of immediately helping those affected by this disaster.
The Dominican Republic, the second largest Caribbean nation after Cuba, shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. American relief efforts within Haiti are being coordinated by the U.S. Departments of State and Health and Human Services. Many of those displaced by last Tuesday's 7.0 earthquake are fleeing to the Dominican Republic, and teams of health professionals are arriving to provide acute care to earthquake victims and maintenance medications to refugees fleeing the disaster in Haiti and its capital, Port-Au-Prince.
The United Nations is coordinating the Dominican Republic effort. JetBlue and Spirit Airline are transporting teams of health professionals from New York City airports. Physicians are already on the ground in the Dominican Republic, and they need pharmacists to assist them. The Dominican Republic is providing safety, housing, and team coordination. The recovery effort is expected to last 6 to 9 months.
Those interested in volunteering for the relief effort should e-mail the following information to Kathleen Kelly of the Global Action Foundation at kathy@jkdskelly.com: name, date of birth, gender, passport (if U.S. citizen) or alien card number, e-mail address, telephone number, specialty, length of time available, and possible departure and return dates. Kelly is also available by telephone at 610-608-8460 for answering questions about volunteering.
Pharmacists wishing to contribute financially to the relief effort have several options:
- To contribute $10 to the American Red Cross using your cell phone, text HAITI to 90999
- Access the American Red Cross or InterAction websites and make donations there.
Individuals or companies with goods (pharmaceuticals or medical supplies) or services (transportation, storage) to donate should access the Center for International Disaster Information website and/or contact federal officials at cip@hhs.gov. Consider providing that information to alerts@rxresponse.org as well.
