COVID-19: Response in the United States
COVID-19: Response in the United States
Our US Response
Since 1984, International Medical Corps has provided emergency medical relief and assistance to people around the world affected by conflict, disaster and disease, working with them to recover, rebuild and gain the skills and tools required for self-reliance.
To help meet a rising need for disaster response in the US, International Medical Corps offers robust domestic response capacity that can quickly provide health and medical care to affected jurisdictions. We maintain Mission Ready Packages that enable rapid response to meet the medical surge needs of local jurisdictions, typically within 24 to 72 hours. As vaccines become more widely available, International Medical Corps will leverage its decades of experience in cold-chain management and last-mile delivery of vaccines to assist with efforts in the US and abroad.
As of November 29, there were 48,229,273 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 776,639 deaths from the disease, in the United States. International Medical Corps is responding to the outbreak of coronavirus and COVID-19 in the US and globally, providing expertise, equipment, training, triage and treatment, and vaccination services. Our multi-pronged approach, which ensures that at-risk countries and regions are able to prepare for and respond to outbreaks of the coronavirus, prioritizes areas where healthcare systems and populations are particularly vulnerable. International Medical Corps also is leveraging its decades of experience in cold-chain management and last-mile delivery of vaccines to assist with vaccination efforts in the US and abroad.
Fast Facts
- January 7: Chinese health authorities confirm that a cluster of pneumonia observed in the city of Wuhan is associated with a novel coronavirus, now called SARS-CoV-2.
- January 20: The first case of COVID-19 in the United States is confirmed in Snohomish County, WA. By March 18, it has spread to all 50 states.
- March 20: International Medical Corps deploys medical shelters to Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital in south Los Angeles, the first of a nationwide series of deployments of medical equipment and assistance.
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California
As part of its domestic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, International Medical Corps has deployed emergency medical field units and equipment to Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH), Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center, and Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, to help them better manage triage and patient flow during surges in demand caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
California continued
We also have deployed field units and equipment to four acute-care hospitals in Los Angeles operated by Avanti Hospitals (East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital, Community Hospital of Huntington Park, Coast Plaza Hospital and Memorial Hospital of Gardena) and to two hospitals in the south Central Valley (Adventist Health Bakersfield and Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley). In addition, we have been providing personal protective equipment (PPE) and training to scores of long-term care facilities across the state. Finally, we are supporting vaccination efforts at MLKCH and at Kedren Community Health Center, both of which serve vulnerable populations in Central and South Los Angeles.
Illinois
In the Chicago area, International Medical Corps has deployed emergency medical field units, PPE and other medical supplies, and volunteer clinicians to Vista Medical Center East, in Waukegan, and to UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial, in Harvey. Vista will use the field units to expand triage capabilities, improve patient flow and keep COVID-19 patients separated from other patients, while Ingalls will use the units to further support expanded COVID-19 community testing. At both facilities, volunteers will help alleviate potential workforce strain due to increased demands and patient volumes.
Massachusetts
In the Boston area, International Medical Corps is working with Brockton Hospital, a not-for-profit teaching facility that since 1896 has served the city of Brockton and surrounding municipalities just south of Boston, to help it respond to COVID-19. The hospital, part of the Signature Healthcare system, is using the emergency medical field units provided by International Medical Corps to provide clinical services to patients with non-COVID-19 needs. It is using the medical equipment and supplies that we are providing to help patients with a range of needs.
Michigan
In Detroit, International Medical Corps has deployed emergency medical field units, PPE and other medical supplies to Henry Ford Hospital, which has served metro Detroit for more than a century, and Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, which has served western Oakland County for more than a decade. The hospitals, both part of the Henry Ford Health System, will use the field units and supplies to improve care for overflow patients who are awaiting discharge. In addition, we have deployed volunteer clinical staff to two hospitals in the Detroit Medical Center health system.
New York
International Medical Corps has deployed emergency medical field units, PPE and volunteer clinicians to Flushing Hospital Medical Center and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The hospitals, both part of the MediSys Health Network, are not-for-profit teaching hospitals that each have served the community of Queens for more than a century. Both now find themselves in the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will use the field units to expand the capacity of their emergency departments and improve patient management and flow. We also have deployed volunteer clinical staff at Maimonides Medical Center and at the NYC Health+Hospitals System.
Puerto Rico
International Medical Corps has deployed emergency medical field units at four hospitals in Puerto Rico: Hospital Damas in Ponce, which serves the southern part of the island—still recovering from a series of strong earthquakes in January; Dr. Ramón Ruiz Arnau University Hospital (HURRA) in Bayamón, which serves the island’s northern and central areas; Hospital San Cristobal, a public hospital located in Juana Díaz that serves the southeast and south-central regions of Puerto Rico; and Centro Médico, which is located in San Juan and is part of a large medical campus that serves as one of the primary trauma receiving facilities for Puerto Rico and the broader Caribbean.
Texas
International Medical Corps is providing support to six hospitals run by CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, a not-for-profit system that has provided healthcare services to the Coastal Bend area of south Texas for more than 100 years, to help it respond to COVID-19. CHRISTUS Spohn will use its emergency medical field units to serve as triage sites, testing sites, distribution centres and waiting rooms. We also are providing PPE and other medical supplies to the system and the communities it serves.
