Stamford-based AmeriCares is rushing emergency medicine and relief supplies to South Carolina for those affected by the current flooding.
The poor and the uninsured are at the top of the receiving list.
The emergency response and global health organization has already sent insulin, pain relievers, cleaning supplies, towels, blankets and family emergency kits.
The shipments are headed to three free clinics in South Carolina serving uninsured and low-income families: Christ Central Medical Care Center in Columbia, Sumpter Free Health Clinic in St. Stephen and Anderson Free Clinic in Anderson.
“We are helping uninsured and low-income residents, who are often the least prepared to weather catastrophic emergencies,” E. Anne Peterson, AmeriCares senior vice president of global programs, said. “Many of the people affected by the storms are struggling with financial problems as well as serious health issues and will need assistance to recover.”
Novo Nordisk, a Danish healthcare company with its U.S. headquarters in New Jersey, is supporting the response with donations of insulin.
AmeriCares is also working with Nestlé Waters North America in Stamford to deliver bottled water to communities with boil water advisories.
Parts of South Carolina have had more than 20 inches of rain recently, causing massive flooding and multiple deaths.
“We had close to 12 inches of rain in 48 hours,” Anderson Free Clinic Executive Director Barb Baptista, said. “Our patients affected by the flooding need these supplies to maintain their health and dignity during a really stressful time.”
AmeriCares said it is the nation”™s largest provider of donated medical aid to the U.S. health care safety net, last year delivering $117 million in aid to a network of clinics and health centers serving five million patients.
AmeriCares made 6,100 shipments to U.S. clinics and health centers last year, delivering enough medication to fill nearly two million prescriptions.
The website is Americares.org.
