Nongovernmental organizations that typically operate in countries battered by conflict or natural disaster are shifting their efforts to communities in the United States to help address and manage the coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press reports.
One such organization, Direct Relief, is organizing flights of medical supplies from its suppliers in China and other countries to its warehouse in Santa Barbara, California. Gloves, masks, and medicines that a couple of years ago would have gone to clinics in Haiti or Sudan are now being sent to Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto and Robert Wood Johnson Hospitals in New Jersey. Atlanta-based MedShare, which sends surplus medical supplies to clinics around the world, also is delivering protective gear to major U.S. hospitals, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Grady Memorial in Atlanta.