We partner with Order of Malta and National Cancer Coalition serving hospitals, primary care clinics, orphanages and nursing homes. The strength of our partnerships has allowed us to respond effectively to the immediate demands of natural disasters while developing sustainable programs that expand primary health care access for the long term in areas such as maternal and child health.

Snapshot of Dominican Republic:

Although the Dominican Republic has one of the fastest growing economies in the region, 42% of the population lives below the poverty line, creating major challenges in health care:

• Less than 2 physicians available per 1,000 persons nationally
• The health care system struggles to meet the needs of poor women, adolescents and children under five
• Infant mortality rate one of highest in region (25 deaths/1,000 live births) and the maternal mortality ratio is more than double the regional average.
• 70% of population live in areas highly vulnerable to natural disasters

Since 1990, AmeriCares has delivered $390 million worth of aid to the Dominican Republic, including medical aid delivered through a long-standing partnership with the Order of Malta and more recently with the National Cancer Coalition (NCC).

AmeriCares medical assistance reaches as many as 200 health care facilities each year including regional hospitals and specialty care facilities, primary care clinics, homes for the young and the elderly, and mobile medical teams that provide care to rural communities and Haitian refugees.

In 2012, we used a disaster preparedness grant to the National Cancer Coalition (NCC) and their local partner to preposition relief supplies as part of our our Global Pre-positioning Initiative.

In 2010, we expanded our partnership with NCC to serve Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

In 2007, Tropical Storm Noel caused heavy rains, flooding and mudslides. In response, AmeriCares delivered an emergency airlift of vital medicines and supplies to people affected by the storms and their aftermath.

In 2004, the town of Jimani was flattened when flash floods sent rocks, mud and other debris down the mountain in the middle of the night. An AmeriCares emergency team was immediately dispatched, followed by an emergency airlift of life-saving relief supplies.

In 1997, AmeriCares responded to a severe drought with aid for our partner hospitals and clinics. That same year the President of the Dominican Republic, honored AmeriCares Founder Bob Macauley with the rank of Commander in the Heraldic Order of Christopher Columbus.

AmeriCares also donates medical products to qualified U.S. health care professionals who are traveling to the Dominican Republic to provide charitable medical care. Through this program, donated medicines and medical supplies reach impoverished and isolated communities where even basic medical care is inaccessible to the poor or often non-existent. AmeriCares donations cure infections, relieve pain, help patients manage chronic diseases and make life-changing surgeries possible.

Find out more about our Medical Outreach program