Project HOPE’s Coronavirus Response Expands to Support America’s Health Workers and Underserved Communities
MILLWOOD, VA (March 19, 2020) – As confirmed cases of COVID-19 rapidly increase in the United States, Project HOPE is ramping up to support America’s response efforts.
“As a global humanitarian organization, Project HOPE’s mandate is always to respond where the need is greatest, and now the need is massive right here at home,” said Rabih Torbay, President and CEO of Project HOPE. “We will be supporting America’s health workers as they work to save lives and fight the virus’s spread. And because one case can ignite a cluster, we’re also looking at ways we can support underserved and marginalized communities that are unlikely to seek testing.”
For more than 60 years, Project HOPE has worked on the front lines of the world’s health challenges, partnering hand-in-hand with communities, health care workers, and public health systems to ensure sustainable change. When needs exceed local capacity, Project HOPE has used its global expertise to tackle health-related issues in the United States, particularly in response to large natural disasters that critically affect health and well-being. For example, in 2017, Project HOPE responded to three major hurricanes – Harvey, Irma, and Maria – by sending medical volunteers to Texas, Florida, and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
Project HOPE has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic since the outbreak began. Since early February 2020, Project HOPE’s team on the ground in China has been providing critical support and equipment to frontline health workers treating patients and working to contain the virus. Project HOPE has delivered nearly 5 million facemasks as well as isolation gowns, protective coveralls, exam gloves, and other protective gear to hospitals that have screened and treated thousands of patients in China.
As the virus spread and became a global pandemic, Project HOPE began preparing to provide vital training and contact tracing in high-risk countries like North Macedonia, Kosovo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Colombia. In Puerto Rico – which is still reeling in the wake of Hurricane Maria as well as the earthquakes earlier this year – Project HOPE is working with partners on the ground to support community-based response efforts where health facilities remain stretched.
For more information on Project HOPE’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, visit www.projecthope.org.