With a significant investment, Direct Relief has improved access to medical services and supported vulnerable populations across the Island. Here is a look at the impact.
After Hurricane María struck in 2017, and with an impact of $224 million on the local economy, the humanitarian organization Direct Relief has become an essential partner for local community organizations in Puerto Rico.
According to its Economic Impact Study, from Sept. 20, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2023, the multimillion-dollar investment translated into $115.5 million in wages, $7.8 million in tax revenue, and 4,104 jobs created for residents.
For Lcda. Ivonne Rodríguez-Wiewall, an adviser to the organization, these results highlight the long-term impact on the Island's medical services sector.
"It is a moment of achievements, looking back eight years and seeing what all these organizations have accomplished, the assistance they have provided, and how Direct Relief's support has helped them achieve everything that has been achieved," the adviser said.
Among the most significant accomplishments is a contribution of $235,550 toward the creation of a foundation for Hospital Pediátrico Universitario, the only center on the Island with a pediatric renal unit to treat critical cases in children.
According to the study, one to two pediatric kidney transplants are performed annually because of the high costs families must cover, which can exceed $600,000 between pre- and post-operative care.
Because of those high costs, historically only one to two such procedures were carried out each year; since the foundation launched in 2020, however, 12 children have completed the transplant process.
The humanitarian organization also included 13 local mental health organizations within its area of impact. Among those organizations are: Boys and Girls Club de Puerto Rico, the foundation Fields of Joy, Hogares Teresa Toda and Instituto Nueva Escuela.
"Now we are not only trying to reach programs that address specific conditions directly, but we also always need to add a mental health component to all of these programs," Rodríguez-Wiewall said.
Growth and development at La Fondita de Jesús
For her part, Geraldine Bayron Rivera, Interim Executive Director of the nonprofit La Fondita de Jesús, said that Direct Relief's support in 2022 meant an expansion of the organization's reach, allowing it to distribute its services more broadly in the community.
"From serving 5-6 municipalities, we are now up to 35; from serving 50 communities, we are now up to 200 communities," Bayron Rivera said of her organization's growth, which has tripled its efforts outside the metropolitan area in towns such as Cabo Rojo, Humacao, Vieques and Salinas.
With more than 39 years of operation on the Island, the organization sought to create equity in access to medical services.
In pursuit of that goal, it proposed to Direct Relief the creation of a mobile clinic called "Conexión Saludable," which is part of its "Conexión Móvil" project. The project responded to the urgent need to provide access to health and housing services in vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico.
Bayron Rivera said Direct Relief "has been key" in community training for emergency management and that they are now better prepared to face emergencies.
Innovations at the Clínicas 330
Rodríguez-Wiewall shares that view. She noted that, thanks to the humanitarian organization's efforts at the global level, since 2022 the 330 health clinics in Puerto Rico have been equipped with a radio communications system for handling emergency calls.
The project, known as Red Interoperable 330, allows 67 clinics to connect on a single call, significantly improving response capacity during emergencies.
A look at 2025
The adviser says Direct Relief's efforts will continue next year with a work plan that includes, among other forms of support, continuing the health fairs they have held in communities around the Island.
The work done between 2017 and 2024 is notable, but for the adviser, much remains to be done to strengthen nonprofit organizations in Puerto Rico and allow them to continue developing their services.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
