AmeriCares
Encyclopedia
AmeriCares is a non-profit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization providing immediate response to emergency medical needs and supporting long-term health care initiatives for people in the United States and around the world. Since its founding in 1982, AmeriCares has provided more than $9 billion of aid to 147 countries. AmeriCares delivers donated medicines, medical supplies and humanitarian aid in response to disaster relief, specific need, or civil conflicts.
In 2009, 99% of all donations to AmeriCares went directly to supporting programs and relief for people in need; 1% was applied to administrative costs including fundraising. AmeriCares has consistently received high rankings for efficiency from Charity Navigator, an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities.
Robert Macauley
, at one time a college roommate of George H. W. Bush
, decided to respond on his own; he chartered a Boeing 747 to rescue the orphans, mortgaging his house to cover the costs. Within 48 hours, the children arrived safely in California. AmeriCares was created upon on this emergency. Robert Macauley explained his purpose to offer immediate and effective aid, "You act now and worry about the red tape later".
AmeriCares has provided emergency medical relief in response to numerous disasters, including the famine in Ethiopia (1984); the Chernobyl nuclear disaster (1986); the Armenian earthquake (1988); Central America’s Hurricane Mitch (1998); the Rwandan refugee crisis (1994); the attack on the World Trade Center (2001); the South Asian tsunami (2004); the Pakistan earthquake (2005); Hurricane Katrina (2005); the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Darfur; the earthquake in China (2008), Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (2008), Sumatra Indonesia earthquake (2009) and typhoons in the Philippines (2009).
AmeriCares helps support America’s uninsured and underinsured through a network of health care providers that offer primary care at no cost. In 2009, AmeriCares delivered over $190 million in aid – including $20 million in medicines and $170 million in free prescriptions – to 160 health care organizations serving poor and uninsured Americans.
• AmeriCares delivered more than $5 million in aid to the Philippines after Typhoon Ketsana produced more than 16 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period over Manila and surrounding areas. This massive amount of concentrated rainfall triggered mudslides and massive flooding, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. AmeriCares provided emergency aid included antibiotics to fight infections and treat waterborne diseases, pain relievers, medical supplies and personal hygiene items.
• Hurricane Ida caused disastrous flooding and mudslides in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Mexico. An emergency airlift and AmeriCares relief workers dispatched to El Salvador coordinated the distribution of critical relief throughout the region.
• AmeriCares responded to the deadly cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe with vital medicines, water purifiers to provide over 3 million USgals (11,356.2 m³) of clean drinking water, and 20,000 units of lifesaving IV solutions and IV supplies, more than half of which were specifically designed to treat children.
• When Cyclone Aila left more than 5 million people homeless in India, the AmeriCares India division coordinated the provision of medicines, medical supplies and disaster relief experts to rural villages in West Bengal. AmeriCares India also dispatched medical services to treat patients suffering from injuries, infections and other health problems.
• In 2009, AmeriCares delivered its eleventh airlift for Darfur refugees, a region in which 2.7 million people rely on humanitarian aid to survive. In neighboring Chad, where thousands of Sudanese refugees seek asylum, AmeriCares mobilized additional shipments of medicine and medical supplies, bringing the total aid delivered to the region since 2004 to $11 million.
• In the United States, AmeriCares dispatched its mobile medical unit to the Gulf Coast to treat survivors of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. AmeriCares also sent truckloads of potable water, provided portable generators to keep home-based medical equipment operating, and repaired, equipped and funded health care facilities damaged by the storms.
• In 2010, AmeriCares responded to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, that destroyed most of Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince and effected surrounding areas. Within two weeks of the earthquake, AmeriCares had delivered $12.5 million in medicines and health care products, including anesthetics, antibiotics, pain relievers and basic medical supplies, such as gauze, sutures and syringes. Additionally, AmeriCares long-term commitment to Haiti includings pledging to deliver $50 million in aid to help rebuild the country's health care system.
Tsunami recovery from the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami continues today in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. AmeriCares has committed over $50 million in assistance to the countries hardest hit by this disaster. In 2009, AmeriCares completed construction of the Elpitiya Hospital in Sri Lanka, which is currently serving a population of 150,000, and laid the groundwork for an additional facility, the Trincomalee District General Hospital.
Hurricane Katrina Recovery Along the U.S. Gulf Coast, residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are still struggling in the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina. In 2009, AmeriCares donated a mobile medical bus to the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans to provide free vaccinations for children. AmeriCares has also continually delivered medicines and supplies to support health clinics that serve the poor and uninsured in communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.
(BBB) and Charity Navigator
for efficiency. These ratings reflect the fact that more than 98% of total expenses directly support programs and relief for people in need, and less than 2% represent administrative costs. In addition, AmeriCares met or exceeded the standards of charity accountability set by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.
In 2009, 99% of all donations to AmeriCares went directly to supporting programs and relief for people in need; 1% was applied to administrative costs including fundraising. AmeriCares has consistently received high rankings for efficiency from Charity Navigator, an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities.
History
On April 4, 1975, a U.S. jet carrying 243 Vietnamese orphans crashed into the jungle outside of Tan Son Nhut. A third of the children died in the accident; the surviving children, many critically injured, awaited rescue. The United States government announced that it would not have rescue resources available for at least 10 days.Robert Macauley
Robert Macauley
Robert Conover "Bob" Macauley was an American businessman who shifted from his paper company to create the charity AmeriCares, which he established in 1982 and which has provided billions of dollars of aid to needy people in crisis situations in countries around the world...
, at one time a college roommate of George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, decided to respond on his own; he chartered a Boeing 747 to rescue the orphans, mortgaging his house to cover the costs. Within 48 hours, the children arrived safely in California. AmeriCares was created upon on this emergency. Robert Macauley explained his purpose to offer immediate and effective aid, "You act now and worry about the red tape later".
AmeriCares has provided emergency medical relief in response to numerous disasters, including the famine in Ethiopia (1984); the Chernobyl nuclear disaster (1986); the Armenian earthquake (1988); Central America’s Hurricane Mitch (1998); the Rwandan refugee crisis (1994); the attack on the World Trade Center (2001); the South Asian tsunami (2004); the Pakistan earthquake (2005); Hurricane Katrina (2005); the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Darfur; the earthquake in China (2008), Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (2008), Sumatra Indonesia earthquake (2009) and typhoons in the Philippines (2009).
Global medical assistance
With the support of corporate and financial donors, AmeriCares largest program, Global Medical Assistance, provides medicines, medical supplies and other relief on an ongoing basis to hospitals, clinics and community health programs in over 90 countries, including the United States. The program fulfills critical resource gaps by supplying essential products that are otherwise unavailable or financially inaccessible.AmeriCares helps support America’s uninsured and underinsured through a network of health care providers that offer primary care at no cost. In 2009, AmeriCares delivered over $190 million in aid – including $20 million in medicines and $170 million in free prescriptions – to 160 health care organizations serving poor and uninsured Americans.
Emergency response and disaster relief
AmeriCares organizes emergency response teams to deliver urgently needed aid to survivors of disasters. Such aid includes medicines, hospital supplies, water or water purification treatments, shelter and other critically needed resources. In 2009, AmeriCares responded to 32 emergencies in 22 countries. Recent relief efforts have included:• AmeriCares delivered more than $5 million in aid to the Philippines after Typhoon Ketsana produced more than 16 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period over Manila and surrounding areas. This massive amount of concentrated rainfall triggered mudslides and massive flooding, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. AmeriCares provided emergency aid included antibiotics to fight infections and treat waterborne diseases, pain relievers, medical supplies and personal hygiene items.
• Hurricane Ida caused disastrous flooding and mudslides in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Mexico. An emergency airlift and AmeriCares relief workers dispatched to El Salvador coordinated the distribution of critical relief throughout the region.
• AmeriCares responded to the deadly cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe with vital medicines, water purifiers to provide over 3 million USgals (11,356.2 m³) of clean drinking water, and 20,000 units of lifesaving IV solutions and IV supplies, more than half of which were specifically designed to treat children.
• When Cyclone Aila left more than 5 million people homeless in India, the AmeriCares India division coordinated the provision of medicines, medical supplies and disaster relief experts to rural villages in West Bengal. AmeriCares India also dispatched medical services to treat patients suffering from injuries, infections and other health problems.
• In 2009, AmeriCares delivered its eleventh airlift for Darfur refugees, a region in which 2.7 million people rely on humanitarian aid to survive. In neighboring Chad, where thousands of Sudanese refugees seek asylum, AmeriCares mobilized additional shipments of medicine and medical supplies, bringing the total aid delivered to the region since 2004 to $11 million.
• In the United States, AmeriCares dispatched its mobile medical unit to the Gulf Coast to treat survivors of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. AmeriCares also sent truckloads of potable water, provided portable generators to keep home-based medical equipment operating, and repaired, equipped and funded health care facilities damaged by the storms.
• In 2010, AmeriCares responded to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, that destroyed most of Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince and effected surrounding areas. Within two weeks of the earthquake, AmeriCares had delivered $12.5 million in medicines and health care products, including anesthetics, antibiotics, pain relievers and basic medical supplies, such as gauze, sutures and syringes. Additionally, AmeriCares long-term commitment to Haiti includings pledging to deliver $50 million in aid to help rebuild the country's health care system.
Post emergency response
Some disasters are so devastating that survivors and affected communities require ongoing support for rehabilitation and recovery. AmeriCares works to restore comprehensive health care systems – from providing and outfitting field hospitals to supporting nurse and lab technician education programs.Tsunami recovery from the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami continues today in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. AmeriCares has committed over $50 million in assistance to the countries hardest hit by this disaster. In 2009, AmeriCares completed construction of the Elpitiya Hospital in Sri Lanka, which is currently serving a population of 150,000, and laid the groundwork for an additional facility, the Trincomalee District General Hospital.
Hurricane Katrina Recovery Along the U.S. Gulf Coast, residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are still struggling in the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina. In 2009, AmeriCares donated a mobile medical bus to the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans to provide free vaccinations for children. AmeriCares has also continually delivered medicines and supplies to support health clinics that serve the poor and uninsured in communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Medical outreach program
AmeriCares Medical Outreach Program donates medical products to U.S.-based health care professionals bringing medical care to disadvantaged or isolated areas. The services offered by these field volunteers range from primary care to sophisticated surgeries. In 2009, the Medical Outreach Program donated more than $39 million worth of medicines and supplies to 1,000 volunteer trips treating patients in 79 countries. AmeriCares Medical Outreach Program was also expanded to provide surgical support for U.S. residents who cannot afford orthopedic procedures such as knee or hip replacements.Helping provide care to uninsured Americans
AmeriCares provides life-saving medicines and critical medical supplies to a network of community health centers, clinics and health care providers across the U.S. offering no cost primary care.AmeriCares free clinics
AmeriCares Free Clinics have provided primary health care to the uninsured since 1994. Three clinics in Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk provide medical services to thousands of people every year by utilizing a network of dedicated volunteer doctors, nurses, interpreters and administrative personnel. AmeriCares also works closely with local hospitals, labs and specialists who donate their services.Accountability and standards
AmeriCares has a longstanding commitment to fiscal responsibility and has consistently received high ratings from the Better Business BureauBetter Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
(BBB) and Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...
for efficiency. These ratings reflect the fact that more than 98% of total expenses directly support programs and relief for people in need, and less than 2% represent administrative costs. In addition, AmeriCares met or exceeded the standards of charity accountability set by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.
- AmeriCares is an I.R.S. registered 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization
- AmeriCares is registered with the United States Agency for International DevelopmentUnited States Agency for International DevelopmentThe United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
(USAID) - AmeriCares abides by all U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines; lot numbers for all products are tracked from receipt to distribution
- AmeriCares was one of the first non-governmental organizations to endorse the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for drugs and donations
- AmeriCares is a founding member of the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD), an alliance of relief agencies and health care firms dedicated to advancing quality medical product donations worldwide
- AmeriCares is affiliated with numerous respected medical institutions whose faculty and staff support AmeriCares programs around the world. Partners include:
- Yale University School of Medicine (New Haven, Connecticut)
- The Mayo ClinicMayo ClinicMayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
(Rochester, Minnesota) - Dartmouth Medical SchoolDartmouth Medical SchoolDartmouth Medical School is the medical school of Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. The fourth-oldest medical school in the United States, Dartmouth Medical School was founded in 1797 by New England physician Nathan Smith and grew steadily over the course...
(Hanover, New Hampshire)