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AmeriCares Delivers $1 Billion in Medical Aid Around the World and in the U.S.
16 Jun 2009 15:23:00 GMT
 Source: AmeriCares
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Stamford, CT - AmeriCares today achieved a milestone with a shipment to Honduras bringing the total value of aid delivered in the past 12 months to $1 billion.

The shipment, which left AmeriCares Stamford warehouse this morning, includes nearly $7 million worth of medicines for patients with dangerous infections, heart problems, diabetes, respiratory problems and other ailments. The medicines and supplies will be distributed to a network of 180 hospitals and clinics across the country.

Reaching the $1 billion aid mark is an extraordinary feat given the challenging economy. AmeriCares has been able to deliver the same volume of medical assistance as last year through ongoing product donations from many pharmaceutical companies and medical manufacturers which are delivered to help restore health around the world and increasingly, throughout the United States. AmeriCares also delivered $1 billion of aid in 2005 after several disasters struck, including Hurricane Katrina, the Pakistan earthquake and the Southeast Asian tsunami.

"The one thing that hasn't slowed in this economy is product donations from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors and our ability to ship those products to where they are needed most," said AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling. "We have all felt the impact of the current economic situation, but it is in times like these that our deliveries of medicines are needed even more to help restore health and save lives."

Over the past 12 months, AmeriCares delivered aid to 94 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. This included 470 shipments to health care clinics serving the uninsured and underinsured in over 35 states throughout the U.S. and 417 shipments in response to emergencies, such as the recent Swine Flu outbreak, and ongoing medical assistance to hospitals, clinics and community health programs in the developing world. AmeriCares operates three warehouses in Stamford, Amsterdam and India which serve as vital hubs for distributing medical assistance with greater speed and efficiency.

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About AmeriCares

AmeriCares is a private, nonprofit international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis around the world. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $8.0 billion in humanitarian aid to 137 countries. For more information, visit http://www.americares.org




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