Joplin, One Year Later

On May 22, 2011, a monster tornado ripped through the heart of Joplin, Missouri, killing 161, injuring 750, and shattering thousands of lives. AmeriCares mobilized an immediate response, and has awarded nearly $100,000 in disaster grants to help restore and enhance medical services in the community for people in need throughout 2012.Immediate response helps a community in crisisAmeriCares arrived in the disaster zone, delivering chronic care medicines to partner clinics to help treat survivors, followed by shipments of tetanus vaccines, insulin, water and temporary structures. A grant was awarded to one partner clinic to increase their capacity and enable mobile medical care. A total of $788,032 in emergency aid was delivered to help the sick and injured.Ongoing aid to expand and restore health careWith much of Joplin’s health care infrastructure damaged or destroyed, the disaster magnified the challenges for the city residents. In December, 2011, as part of its U.S. Disaster Recovery Grants initiative, AmeriCares awarded grants totaling $98,225 to restore and expand crucial health care services in Joplin throughout 2012, including:

• Restoring pediatric dental care: Thirteen dental offices were rendered unusable, creating a critical gap. A $48,473 grant enabled Access Family Care to provide dental services to an estimated 2,000 children for one year. An additional  $8,942 grant enabled the clinic to install power to a donated x-ray machine for the dental facility.
• Expanding women’s health services: The closure of so many damaged health facilities caused a surge in demand at the women’s health clinic run by the Economic Security Corporation (ESC). At the same time, the loss of jobs made it difficult for patients to afford even discounted health care fees. To meet these challenges, the ESC received a $40,810 grant to expand services, enabling the clinic to see more women in the next 12 months, offering vouchers for free procedures to 40 patients, and providing transportation vouchers to 40 patients who lost access to their own transportation.

“These grants ensure that children, and uninsured/underinsured families will have access to medical and dental care for the next 12 months,” said AmeriCares emergency response manager, Garrett Ingoglia. Read MoreDonate Now