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AmeriCares is delivering, building and equipping a 50-bed transitional field hospital to provide maternal and child health services in Chile, as part of our ongoing relief efforts in the aftermath of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in February.
The transitional facility will be located near Angol Hospital, which was one of more than 20 hospitals destroyed, severely damaged or left operating with limited bed capacity by the earthquake. AmeriCares will provide the field hospital, medicines, medical supplies and essential equipment to help meet maternal and child health care needs thanks to a generous donation from the GE Foundation.
“This will directly benefit our patients, many of whom have to travel over 40 miles to receive medical services,” said Dr. Carlos Gonzales, Director of Angol Hospital. “We know that in many instances, sick people in our community are not seeking medical attention because the nearest hospital is so far away. This project will be a great help in restoring our ability to provide the health services our people need.”
AmeriCares emergency response experts have been coordinating the delivery of medical assistance since the earthquake struck. To date, AmeriCares has provided $600,000 worth of medical supplies, personal hygiene items to prevent infection and disease, and medicines, surgical supplies and disaster relief for survivors of the earthquake. “AmeriCares deliveries enable health care workers to perform medical treatments and provide basic supplies and personal hygiene items which are essential for improving the quality of life for Chileans trying to recover from the earthquake,” said Christoph Gorder, Vice President of Emergency Response for AmeriCares. “They will keep families and communities healthy as they rebuild their homes and their lives.”
Additional medical assistance for the transitional hospital, including the purchase of antibiotics, anesthesia and other vital medicines to help treat patients will be provided through support from MetLife in Chile.
Since 1989, AmeriCares has delivered over $16 million in medical aid and humanitarian assistance to Chile. In addition to recent earthquake relief in Chile, AmeriCares efforts have included shipments of disaster preparedness supplies, antibiotics, children’s medications and specialized medicines to treat people with hemophilia.