It’s a warmer-than-normal January afternoon in Santa Monica, California. On the side of the road, in a parking lot temporarily serving as the re-entry point to the scorched Palisades neighborhood, members of International Medical Corps’ mental health team are approaching residents to see how they’re doing and provide resources to support their emotional recovery. Kimberly …
When Hurricane Helene slammed into the southeastern United States on September 26, it brought with it catastrophic levels of rainfall and flooding. The city of Asheville, North Carolina, was particularly hard-hit. In response, International Medical Corps deployed clinical volunteers and support staff to western North Carolina to provide primary care and behavioral health services at …
Senior Director for US Programs Erica Tavares describes International Medical Corps’ comprehensive response to the wildfires sweeping through the Los Angeles region.
“I’ve been having a hard time containing my anger and irritation lately,” says 18-year-old Olena. In addition to dealing with the typical challenges of teenagerhood—school anxieties, sibling conflicts and worries about her future—she’s also dealing with the stresses of daily life during a war. Olena lives in Odesa, Ukraine’s third-largest city. Over the past three …
In February 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked Europe’s biggest refugee movement since the Second World War. Millions of Ukrainians—mostly women and children—escaped the conflict by fleeing to Poland and other European countries. “In those first few days of the war, nobody had much information about what was happening at the Polish–Ukrainian border, so I …
Training Aspiring Midwives Assistants in CAR In low-resource areas, midwives play a crucial role in saving lives during childbirth. Their skills and compassion significantly affect maternal and newborn health, meeting 90% of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent healthcare needs. In the Central African Republic (CAR), the availability of these lifesaving services is critically …
“When the invasion began, it was chaos. We were overwhelmed by bombings and displaced people,” says Dr. Kyrylo Kliukach. Working as an emergency physician in Dnipro, a major city in eastern Ukraine, Dr. Kliukach and his colleagues have bravely assisted people injured in air strikes and missile attacks targeting the city since the start of …
When disaster strikes, mental health can plummet, as communities face the stress of continued and overwhelming chaos and uncertainty, as well as the devastating loss of homes, livelihoods and loved ones. International Medical Corps is one of the few humanitarian organizations working globally that prioritizes the treatment of mental health needs in humanitarian crises. Our …
When morning breaks in the temperate rainforest surrounding Asheville, North Carolina, the vivid colors are captivating. Seeing the arboreal spectrum of deep green and orange bathed in golden light is enough to make me forget that I’m in a disaster zone—until I drive past a collapsed bridge, uprooted trees or a chest-high pile of debris …
Meet Bilal Mohamed Abaker Zakaria, MHPSS Officer in Sudan. Where are you based? I’m in Damazine, in the Blue Nile region of Sudan. What is your background? I have a Bachelor of Science degree in applied medical sciences with a specialization in health psychology. I have seven years of experience in the mental health field, …
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