Jump to content

International Medical Corps

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

International Medical Corps is a global, nonprofit, humanitarian aid organization that provides emergency medical services,[1][2] healthcare training[3] and capacity building[4][5][6] to those affected by disaster,[7][8][9] disease[10][11][12][13][14] or conflict.[15][16] It seeks to strengthen medical services and infrastructure in the aftermath of crises.[17][18][19]

International Medical Corps focuses on health services and training. This includes the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases;[20][21][22][23] supplemental food for malnourished children;[24][25] water, sanitation and hygiene;[26][27] mental health and psychosocial care;[28][29][30][31] and gender-based violence.[32][33][34]

History

[edit]
International Medical Corps car in Dnipro, Ukraine during war.

The organization was founded in 1984 by Dr. Robert Simon, together with a group of American physicians and nurses.[35] It is a private, nonprofit organization, with no political or religious affiliation. Simon is a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rush University, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. He is the former Bureau Chief of the Cook County Bureau of Health Services.

Current operations

[edit]

International Medical Corps works in some 30 countries globally, including the United States, providing relief to populations facing conflict, disease, natural disaster, famine and poverty, while also laying the foundation for sustainable development through training. Its programs are funded from both public and private sources, including the US government, the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)[36][37] and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[38]

International Medical Corps is based in Los Angeles, with other administrative offices in Washington, D.C.; London, England; and Split, Croatia. As of 2024, it employed thousands of staff and has worked in more than 85 countries.[39]

International Medical Corps has provided disaster relief for people impacted a wide range of disasters, conflicts and outbreaks of disease, including the 2010 Haiti earthquake,[40] the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami,[41] the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa,[42] the April 2015 Nepal earthquake,[43] and food insecurity and famine in South Sudan in 2017.[44] It has responded to a number of Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the Kivu Ebola epidemic,[45] where it participated in vaccine and treatment trials.[46] It provided medical and mental health care to people affected by Hurricane Dorian,[47][48] which devastated the Bahamas in 2019. It provided medical care, equipment and supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic globally[49][50][51] and across the United States, including in Alabama,[52] California,[53][54][55] Illinois,[56] Massachusetts,[57] New York,[58][59] Puerto Rico[60] and Texas.[61][62] The International Medical Corps country team in Lebanon was able to quickly respond to the 2020 Beirut explosion, providing medical and mental health care.[63][64]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Lowman, Sonia (18 October 2018). "'The remedy of a soul': Mental health worker Hadeel Naser helps Syrian refugees heal". The New Arab. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  2. ↑ Katz, Chelsea (5 June 2021). "International Medical Corps trains at TEEX's Disaster City facility to earn emergency certification". The Eagle. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. ↑ Myers, Michelle (14 March 2022). "Where to donate to help Ukraine right now". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  4. ↑ Jawhar, Jamal (21 August 2020). "Haftar Urges WHO to Support Libya in Fight against COVID-19". Asharq Al-Aswat. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "COVID-19: Snoop to raise funds for medical corps". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  6. ↑ Perera, Shiromi (6 November 2021). "Barriers to seeking post-abortion care in Paktika Province, Afghanistan: a qualitative study of clients and community members". BMC Women's Health. 21 (1): 390. doi:10.1186/s12905-021-01529-5. PMC 8571834. PMID 34742265. S2CID 243767247.
  7. ↑ Halawi, Dana (29 February 2016). "Lebanon struggles to help Syrian refugees with mental health problems". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. ↑ Buckhalter, Deborah (23 November 2018). "PanCare 'tent clinic' in full". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  9. ↑ Schiowitz, Safira (2 September 2021). "International Medical Corps' Current Disaster Relief Efforts". BORGEN Magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  10. ↑ Brown, Jeffrey (21 Jan 2015). "Ebola doctor: 'Tremendous strides' in stemming the outbreak". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  11. ↑ Aizenman, Nurith (25 February 2019). "Why Does Ebola Keep Spreading In Congo? Here's A Major Clue". NPR. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  12. ↑ Jones, Rachel (26 May 2019). "Life amid an Ebola outbreak: Combating mistrust—and saving lives". National Geographic. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  13. ↑ Svetvilas, Chuleenan (April–June 2021). "Dose of Hope". National Nurse. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  14. ↑ Paun, Carmen (11 February 2021). "Vaccinating refugees spurs a global dilemma". Politico. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  15. ↑ Halawi, Dana (29 February 2016). "Lebanon struggles to help Syrian refugees with mental health problems". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  16. ↑ Levitt, Zach (9 March 2022). "How You Can Help Ukraine". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  17. ↑ Lamble, Lucy (9 October 2014). "Ebola outbreak: how can you help?". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  18. ↑ McNeil, Donald (2 September 2018). "Ebola Attacked Congo Again. But Now Congo Seems to Be Winning". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  19. ↑ Iemmi, Valentina (3 December 2019). "Sustainable development for global mental health: a typology and systematic evidence mapping of external actors in low-income and middle-income countries". BMJ Global Health. 4 (6) e001826. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001826. PMC 6936513. PMID 31908860.
  20. ↑ Mallow, Michaela (25 May 2018). "WASH activities at two Ebola treatment units in Sierra Leone". PLOS ONE. 13 (5) e0198235. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1398235M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198235. PMC 5967824. PMID 29795676.
  21. ↑ Aluisio, Adam (1 October 2019). "Vitamin A Supplementation Was Associated with Reduced Mortality in Patients with Ebola Virus Disease during the West African Outbreak". Journal of Nutrition. 149 (10): 1757–1765. doi:10.1093/jn/nxz142. PMC 6768816. PMID 31268140.
  22. ↑ Dean, Jeff (25 February 2022). "Want to support the people in Ukraine? Here's how you can help". NPR. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "How You Can Help The People Of Ukraine". CBS News. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  24. ↑ Fahim, Kareem (18 December 2014). "Malnutrition Hits Millions of Children in Yemen". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  25. ↑ Romo, Christine (19 July 2017). "Charity groups unite to tackle hunger and famine in the Horn of Africa". ABC News. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  26. ↑ Arie, S. (26 October 2010). "Haiti's cholera outbreak could spread to neighbours". BMJ. 341 c6057. doi:10.1136/bmj.c6057. PMID 20978059. S2CID 33660382.
  27. ↑ Calvert, Scott (26 April 2015). "U.S. Government, Organizations Deploying Aid to Quake-Hit Nepal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  28. ↑ Asare, Joe (1 October 2005). "Tackling mental health in Sierra Leone". BMJ. 331 (7519): 720. doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7519.720-b. PMC 1240009. PMID 16195284.
  29. ↑ Shaheen, Kareem (27 September 2014). "Lebanon ill-equipped to handle mental-health issues of Syrian refugee children". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  30. ↑ Halawi, Dana (29 February 2016). "Lebanon struggles to help Syrian refugees with mental health problems". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  31. ↑ Leichner, Ashley (2021). "Mental health integration in primary health services after the earthquake in Nepal: a mixed-methods program evaluation". Global Mental Health. 8: e10. doi:10.1017/gmh.2021.8. PMC 8127643. PMID 34026240.
  32. ↑ Chick, Kristen (26 April 2017). "To fight domestic violence among Syrian refugees, an outreach to men". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  33. ↑ Mednick, Sam (6 May 2020). "South Sudan: COVID-19 Brings Abuse and Other Fears to Displaced Women in South Sudan". AllAfrica. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  34. ↑ Vazirova, Aysel. "Assessment of Services Provided to Victims of Gender Based Violence by State and Nonstate Agencies in Pilot Areas" (PDF). United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  35. ↑ Kruger, Jeff (7 December 1986). "Doctor Fights a 'Genocide' in Afghanistan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  36. ↑ "European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department 2020". Financial Tracking Service. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  37. ↑ Hargrave, Russell (21 February 2019). "UK charities receive over £200m from European Commission development fund". Civil Society News. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  38. ↑ Darmiento, Laurence (3 May 2021). "What will Bill and Melinda Gates' divorce mean for their foundation?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  39. ↑ "2024 Annual Report" (PDF). International Medical Corps. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  40. ↑ "Haiti". International Medical Corps. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  41. ↑ "Our Ongoing Efforts in Japan". Archived from the original on 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
  42. ↑ Fink, Sheri (7 October 2014). "Life, Death and Grim Routine Fill the Day at a Liberian Ebola Clinic". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  43. ↑ Calvert, Scott (26 April 2015). "U.S. Government, Organizations Deploying Aid to Quake-Hit Nepal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  44. ↑ Pelley, Scott (20 March 2017). "Starving in South Sudan". CBS News. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  45. ↑ Schifrin, Nick (17 December 2018). "Responding to Ebola in Congo is hard work, but made that much harder by violence". PBS News Hour. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  46. ↑ McKay, Betsy (30 October 2019). "'Ebola Is Now a Disease We Can Treat.' How a Cure Emerged From a War Zone". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  47. ↑ Arabasadi, Arash (13 September 2019). "Bahamas Post-Dorian Death Toll Expected to Rise". Voice of America. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  48. ↑ Leonard, Nicole (17 September 2019). "Connecticut Doctors, Nurses Part Of Recovery Efforts In Bahamas After Hurricane Dorian". Connecticut Public Radio. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  49. ↑ Lee, Lauren (7 April 2020). "How to feed the hungry, protect health professionals, aid refugees and support service workers during the pandemic". CNN. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  50. ↑ Marchildon, Jackie (28 July 2020). "This Nonprofit Is Tackling COVID-19 by Improving Health Systems From Nursing Homes to Refugee Camps". Global Citizen. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  51. ↑ Navlakha, Meera (2 March 2021). "The Country Doing the Most to Vaccinate Refugees". VICE World News. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  52. ↑ Schleisman, Nicolette (16 October 2020). "100,000 masks donated to Mobile County frontline workers". WKRG News 5. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  53. ↑ News Staff, KQED (23 March 2020). "Hospitals Brace for Wave of COVID-19 Patients". KQED. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  54. ↑ Luiz, Joseph (29 July 2020). "Adventist Health hospitals get emergency field units, supplies from international organization". KGET. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  55. ↑ Keifer, Peter (1 February 2021). "International Medical Corps, Producer of New Documentary 'War & Grace,' Brings Relief Efforts to L.A." The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  56. ↑ Ramos, Manny (2 April 2020). "Nonprofit planning field hospitals for Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  57. ↑ Voorhees, Corlyn (2 June 2020). "Brockton Hospital erects field unit to prepare for 'second wave' of coronavirus". The Enterprise. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  58. ↑ King, Noel (9 April 2020). "Medical Aid Group Helps To Relieve Stress On New York's Health Workers". NPR. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  59. ↑ Brangham, William (22 April 2020). "Why New York's health care system is still 'in a state of shock'". PBS. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  60. ↑ News staff, Elnuevodia (21 April 2020). "International Medical Corps despliega unidades móviles para responder al COVID-19". PBS. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  61. ↑ Gibson, Michael (8 September 2020). "Humanitarian aid organization arrives in the Coastal Bend to help fight the coronavirus". KIII. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  62. ↑ Perez, Nora (9 October 2020). "Christus Spohn Hospitals receive more medical units from humanitarian aid organization". KIII. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  63. ↑ Peltier, Elian (5 August 2020). "How to Help Lebanon After Beirut Explosion". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  64. ↑ Farran, Natali (27 August 2020). "Your mental health matters: Where can you find help after the Beirut blast?". Beirut Today. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Medical_Corps&oldid=1352557707"