International Medical Corps and Team Rubicon Partnering on Typhoon Haiyan Disaster Response in the Philippines
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 15, 2013 -- International Medical Corps and Team Rubicon are working together to immediately deliver medical assistance on the ground in the Philippines following catastrophic Typhoon Haiyan. The Category 5 storm left widespread devastation and survivors in dire need of health services, clean drinking water, safe sanitation, food and critical medicines.
The two organizations will conduct mutually supportive operations in and around the hardest-hit coastal towns of Tacloban and Tanauan. International Medical Corps has deployed a 10-member Emergency Response Team that includes medical professionals and water, sanitation and hygiene experts, and has recruited an initial 40 local medical volunteers to staff mobile medical units. The humanitarian organizations are also deploying teams of U.S. and Philippine doctors and nurses to support surgical capacity in Tanauan. Team Rubicon has a team of 18 people on the ground and is continuing to conduct search and rescue and triage operations on the periphery. Both organizations will work together to assess and address needs in the affected areas and support one another with personnel, supplies, equipment and transportation, in the hopes of saving lives and relieving suffering on the ground as quickly as possible.
“Combining our efforts with Team Rubicon will maximize the lifesaving impact International Medical Corps can have on the hardest-hit communities following the catastrophic typhoon,” said Nancy A. Aossey, President and CEO, International Medical Corps. “From our experience working together in Haiti and South Sudan following large-scale disasters, we know that speed saves lives. Team Rubicon and International Medical Corps are doing all we can to mobilize our first responders and scale up as quickly as possible.”
"Team Rubicon feels that its strengths complement those of International Medical Corps' and vice versa; and we feel that together we can serve as a force-multiplier for people in desperate need. We're committed to deploying teams that will reach the country's most vulnerable populations and providing for them with the care and dignity that they deserve," said Jake Wood, co-founder and CEO, Team Rubicon.
International Medical Corps and Team Rubicon previously collaborated in Haiti in 2010, following the devastating earthquake, and in South Sudan in 2012, to provide critical health services to refugees fleeing violence and hunger in neighboring Sudan. Team Rubicon deployed water and sanitation specialists, engineers, and medical personnel to support International Medical Corps in establishing lifesaving humanitarian infrastructure in the overwhelmed refugee camps.
About International Medical Corps
Since its inception nearly 30 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster, and disease, by delivering vital health care services and sustainable development projects that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning hardest-hit populations to self-reliance. For more information, visit: http://www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org. Also see us Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
About Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon is a nonprofit organization that provides military veterans the opportunity to continue their service through disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. By rapidly deploying teams of veterans in response to emergency situations, Team Rubicon implements lessons learned in war for the greater cause of helping those in need. In turn, working with Team Rubicon helps give veterans a renewed sense of mission, community and self.
Sam Kille, Team Rubicon, http://www.teamrubiconusa.org, +1 3106408787, [email protected]
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