Global Disaster Response

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Global Health (CGH) Office of Global Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action (GDR) has deployed a team this week to provide a professional response in support of one of the many communities of the Navajo Nation affected by COVID-19. The Navajo Nation has the highest COVID-19 infection rate per capita than any individual US state. The Indian Health Service (IHS), which provides direct medical and public health services to members of federally-recognized Native American Tribes, has requested volunteer clinical staff to support the care of patients admitted to their facilities amidst the COVID pandemic, [...]

“Everywhere you looked there were flattened buildings—metal awnings twisted like corkscrews and piles of debris,” said Paulina Zajac, who coordinated a team from Americares and Massachusetts General Hospital in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu this past fall. Historic Storm A flattened warehouse at Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport. The most powerful storm to ever strike the Northern Mariana Islands, Yutu was the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane when it made landfall in late October. The storm hovered over the U.S. territory for hours; wind gusts up to 190 mph downed power lines and tore roofs off buildings. Zajac [...]