Medical Teams International

Central & Eastern Oregon Counties
Request: $190,000

Building on previous national and international disaster response work, and a 2024 pilot in Oregon, Medical Teams has launched its Domestic Disaster Preparedness & Response team with the goal to provide timely and effective resiliency planning, medical care, and medical evacuation support to communities and individuals before, during, and after disasters. Collaborating with local public health departments and community based organizations across the state, Medical Teams aims to provide:

• Mass care and medical needs shelter training

• Emergency medical training & emergency kit distribution

• Disaster preparedness education

• Support to public health agencies assessing vulnerabilities in emergency operations plans

• Investment in network and capacity building focused on supporting Access and Functional Needs (AFN) individuals during disasters 

While continuing to invest in community preparedness work, the near-term objective is to respond to disasters in the Pacific Northwest. Their goal is to alleviate suffering and mitigate the healthcare impact of disasters on displaced populations, and response work will focus on meeting the needs of medically fragile and AFN populations and will include:

• Rapid needs and public health assessments

• Medical support for shelters including triage, chronic illness support, and disease prevention

• Delivery and coordination of essential medical supplies

• Trauma informed emotional and psychological support